Internal Affairs
by Tifa-Lockhart-Scarlet
Summary: Sasuke's life of partying and wild living are over when Itachi forces him to marry someone he has little feelings for. In order to keep his job as the VP and co-owner of Uchiha Enterprises, he has to try to work things out with Sakura. But what happens when a sultry intern captures his attention? Will he fall in love? And what will Sakura do? SASUKExINO and ITACHIxTENTEN rated M AU
1. Chapter 1

**So... I have decided to take on another story here. The idea just recently came to me and I just could not stand by and do nothing about it. So there we have it. This story does not take place in the Naruto world. it is an AU. Most other details will be revealed within the story itself, but I know how pissy some people get if you don't tell them it's an AU. For other information, read the summary and the story itself! Thanks! Please R&R! ;3**

**NARUTO**  
**AU**  
**INTERNAL AFFAIRS**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

_**Chapter One: Introductions**_

* * *

"So tell me how this all started, Sasuke. And don't worry, you can be completely honest with me." Said the brunette as she pushed up her glasses and adjusted her seating a bit. She maintained a soft and gentle look on her face as she looked upon her patient.

The raven haired man sunk back into the leather seat and let out a heavy sigh. He wanted desperately to stand up, turn around and walk away. But God only knew what his wife would do if he skipped out on the first session of marriage counseling. They had been having issues since the day they said 'I do'.

"I said yes, that's when it all friggin' started." He said with little enthusiasm. The therapist's attitude had started to seriously irk him.

"Did you initiate the relationship between you and Sakura?" The therapist asked softly. She could tell that the young man was rather annoyed, so she wanted to tread lightly with her questions.

"Well, she was really just a damn stalker. But my business partners thought it would be best for me to get married. Said it would be good for my image and for the success of the business." He answered honestly.

Hinata took her pen and began taking notes as she nodded in response. Setting her pen down she looked up and made eye contact with the man. "So really this relationship wasn't founded in love at all?"

"Let me tell you something right now miss_ Uzumaki,_ I do no love anyone."

"Well there you have it then. Why do you remain in this relationship?" Hinata questioned.

"Cause my wife would kill me. You don't understand, she's a friggin' psycho." Sasuke started as he began to grow more and more uncomfortable. "Aside from that my business partner would also kill me. Whoever got to me first, I suppose. "

"Answer me this then, Sasuke, are you planning to do what it takes to make your relationship with your wife work?"

"Sakura is forcing me to come here. I can't say for sure it'll change anything. Look if you don't have any useful information for me, I'm gonna go."

"I'm not finished assessing your situation, Mr. Uchiha." Hinata warned as she watched the man stand and straighten his black tie.

"Well, Hinata, I gotta get to work, unfortunately I have the agonizing task of training the new intern. " He stated before exiting.

* * *

Hopping into his sleek, black Lamborghini, he fired it up and headed down to Uchiha enterprises, praising God he had at least a twenty minute drive in the lunch hour traffic. _'So really this relationship wasn't founded in love at all?'_ He recalled as he made his way to work.

Two years ago, Sasuke bit the bullet and took the advice of his elder brother, Itachi. Sasuke had a previous reputation as a snotty, ridiculously wealthy playboy living off the skirt tails of his even more ridiculously wealthy brother. Arrested multiple times for disturbing the peace and reckless behavior, Itachi cracked the whip on Sasuke. Sasuke could work for him under the contingency that he buckle down, get married and stop the wild life.

Sakura was the girl that always showed up to his parties, ended up getting way too drunk and passing out at his place. They'd known each other since high school, and even had some college business classes together. She had been kind enough to bail him out of jail twice, and from that moment on, Sasuke believed he could trust her, if not he could always use her as an easy one night stand. Eventually, that one night stand happened and she became incredibly attached to him. She followed him everywhere, showed up at his place unannounced, even ruined dates by storming in and threatening potential girls.

Sasuke weighed his options, he could lose his job, source of income and his lavish lifestyle, in exchange for a cool prison cell and a life alone, or marry his stalker, take a percentage of the company his brother owned and glide right through life.

It was true, Sakura was easy on the eyes. But she was loud, demanding, spiteful and selfish. She controlled everything that Sasuke did and he was often in the crossfires between Sakura's horrific personality and the contingency between he and Itachi. The 25 year-old man was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Who was he kidding, counseling wasn't going to help. Sasuke just couldn't be as successful as his brother.

The raven haired man heaved a loud and heavy sigh as he parked in front of the blatantly familiar building in his 'Executive VP' parking space and got out of the car. He looked up, taking in the sheer magnitude of what his brother had created before walking into the mouth of the beast.

Stepping inside, everything seemed to be normal and business as usual. Mr. Deidara sat at his rounded desk that was centered and to the left. It was thanks to him that appointments and business arrangements were kept and well managed. He had also done most of the interior decorating, which both Sasuke and Itachi were grateful for. It had an edgy and modern look, vibrant, abstract paintings hung on the walls and oddly shaped furniture was placed with precision in the waiting area. Things looked neat, tight and clean with simple yet striking coloring. Bold white accented with splashes of green and orange here and there. The complete opposite of the reflections of the companies owners. Which was precisely what was needed.

"Back from your meeting, Mr. Uchiha?" Said the blonde man behind the desk.

Sasuke strode down the center rug and stood in front of the desk where his colleague and friend sat. "Tch.. Yeah... Meeting my ass. We both know there wasn't a meeting." Sasuke stated as he fingered the ring on his left hand.

"Hell, I hear you. Good news is the intern is here, and boy let me tell you that bitch is h-o-t!" Deidara chimed as he leaned back comfortably in his chair putting his arms behind his head.

"Watch your mouth, Deidara." Boomed a dark voice from the elevator to the right of the desk. How Itachi managed to hear all of the inappropriate conversations Deidara and Sasuke had thinking it was private, was a mystery to everyone in the office.

"Uh..yes sir." Deidara said as he lowered his head shamefully.

"Sasuke." Itachi started as he approached his younger sibling. "Miss Yamanaka is in conference room 8 on the third floor. She will be our newest intern. Please show her the ropes and get her familiar with the business and the employees." Itachi said as he gave his brother a nod.

"Sure thing, boss." Sasuke replied, trying not to sound as annoyed as he felt. Taking orders from Itachi was one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do. But damn, the money was well worth it.

"I've got a lunch meeting, so you're in charge while I'm out. Don't screw anything up." Itachi warned before taking his leave.

Sasuke rolled his ebony eyes and made his way to the elevator. Well let's get it over with. He thought as he pressed the button for the third floor. Once he stepped out he was greeted by many other employees. "Hello Vice President." Or "Afternoon, Mr. Uchiha." But Sasuke hated the attention and he hated the title. It made it worse that the CEO was also Mr. Uchiha.

"Hello." He mumbled with half-lidded eyes. He quickly avoided the rush of people around him and stepped into the conference room for sanctuary.

"Well if I didn't know better I would say you were running from something." Said a blonde woman sitting at the conference table. Sasuke assumed she was referencing his posture, how he was slammed against the door and sighing in relief.

He chuckled to himself at her bold remark. It wasn't every day that an intern would have the audacity to speak to the Vice President of Uchiha Enterprises without first being spoken to. "Well you must be Miss Yamanaka." He said as he strode into the room adjusting his black suit jacket.

"Yes sir, that's me." Ino said standing up. Sasuke took note of her attire. She was dressed in a purple pencil skirt with a white, tight fitting blouse and a purple jacket to match the skirt. Her hair was neatly pulled up into a sleek pony tail that hung to the middle of her back. She had long, toned legs and large, sparking blue orbs.

_Deidara, that was an understatement_. Sasuke thought to himself as he extended his hand to the girl before him. "Nice to meet you, my name is Sasuke Uchiha." He said as they shook hands. He also took notice of her handshake, it was firm and anything but dainty.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr..."

"Don't bother calling me Mr. Uchiha." He interrupted abruptly. "My brother is also Mr. Uchiha, and it's far more important that you address him as such. It can get confusing, especially if you are servicing the both of us. So calling me Sasuke will be just fine." He explained as he placed a Manila folder on the table and opened it up.

"Alright. Thank you, Sasuke." Ino smiled. She studied the dark haired man subtly, admiring his mysterious aura and handsome features. She was thankful he didn't seem to be some kind of creep, like the last offices she worked for.

"So you've interned before I see. That's good, you have experience. Can you tell me what your end goal may be for this internship?" Sasuke asked as he closed the folder and made eye contact with the girl.

"Well, of course I would love to land a job. I can do secretarial work, and administrative as well." Ino replied. She watched a smile creep onto the man's face and she couldn't help but grow a little pink in the cheeks, praying under her breath that the butterflies in her stomach would soon settle.

"Perfect." Sasuke stated, tucking the folder beneath his arm. "Let's show you around then."

The two headed all the way back down to the first floor to begin the grand tour of the building. Ino admired how put together the entire place was.

"I'm sure you've already met, but this is our front desk operator, Deidara." Sasuke said as he gestured to the blonde behind the desk.

"Oh yeah, we've met. Ain't that right, toots?" He said with an uncomfortable wink.

"Uh, yep." Ino replied, trying not to roll her eyes. _And here I thought I had avoided creeps_.

"To our right are the offices of our biggest manufacturer, Mr. Zabuza Momochi. He is out of town today, so you'll meet him later." Sasuke pointed out a large glass wall with two swinging doors. The office looked a little disheveled with papers strewn about to and fro.

Ino gave him a nod, remembering to come back and tidy that place up. They stepped into the elevator once more, but this time they were alone. Being alone with Sasuke made Ino's heart pound and she couldn't explain why. But she was thankful that they reached the second floor right away.

"This is the second floor. Here all of our orders are processed and approved or disapproved by our administrative team." Sasuke explained as he walked her around. The hallway was narrow and bustling with several people who were scrambling about to get things done.

"You new here?" Said a girl with sandy blonde hair that stood at the water cooler. She turned to face Ino and smirked.

Ino looked at the girl with the peculiar hairstyle and nodded. "Yeah, just started today. I'm Ino."

"The name's Temari." The girl said, in a rough tone. "Hey watch your back around here. People tend to get stabbed. Especially if the head honcho don't like you." She whispered, warning Ino.

"Y-you mean the CEO?" Ino gulped.

"His wife." Temari stated.

Sasuke rolled his dark eyes and walked up to the two girls. "Oh don't listen to her, Ino. You've got nothing to worry about." Sasuke explained after seeing the look on the poor newbie's face. "Come on, you've seen enough up here." He said leading her back to the elevator. They passed Temari who gave Ino a glare until the elevator doors closed.

Ino wanted to ask Sasuke questions about Temari, and about the woman she was warned about, but there were too many other employees in the elevator. They finally reached the third floor, where Ino had been before. So far it was her favorite floor because it was quiet and calm. It was decorated in a more simple scheme, dark brown carpets, grey walls and a big mahogany desk where a petite woman answered phone calls by herself. Lots of different conference rooms lined the hallways.

"Here we have our conference hall. This is the place we take clients and potential clients to discuss terms and conditions." The Uchiha explained.

"And what exactly are the terms you discuss? What are you selling them?" Ino questioned. The female at the desk looked at Ino in shock and Ino immediately regretted asking the question.

"You'll know soon enough." Sasuke stated. "One thing I forgot to mention is that there is a break room in every floor." He began leading Ino toward a room at the end of the hall as he spoke. "You'll find everything you need for coffee, snacks and other refreshments." Sasuke swung open the door and walked in. Ino was quite impressed. There was a large refrigerator, an espresso machine, a large coffee pot and a single cup coffee maker. He opened the top cabinets above the counter where all the coffee makers sat. The cabinets were stocked with every kind of coffee imaginable. He then revealed to her the bottom cabinets which had coffee filters, sugar, creamers of all different types and stirrers. Along with several gorgeous ceramic mugs.

"You all take your coffee seriously." Ino noted.

"That we do." Sasuke said with a smile.

* * *

_Meanwhile, back with Itachi._

He hopped into the back seat of his black limo, as he did every day and relaxed in the seat for a moment. _That's right, I need to call her_, he thought to himself as he began to fumble for his phone.

"Where to, Mr. Uchiha?" The driver asked politely.

"Drive me to the Italian restaurant on the edge of town. I'm meeting a client there." Itachi replied coldly.

"You got it." Replied the driver

Itachi finally found his phone and placed his finger at it's base to unlock it. Once it read his finger print, the screen lit up and he began to dial the only number he knew by heart. Looking out the window, the man placed his phone to his ear._ Come on, pick up_. He thought anxiously to himself.

_"Hmmmmm hello?"_ Came a drowsy voice from the other line.

Itachi smiled and let out a dark chuckle. "Are you still in bed, Tenten?"

_"Mhmmmm."_ Came her tired response.

"Well beautiful, it's time to get up. Have you heard from Sakura, has she had her counseling yet?" He asked as he sat up in his seat.

_"She hasn't called me yet. How bout Sasuke, did he say how it went?"_

"I didn't ask."

_"You know he shouldn't have married her, it's a big mess."_ Tenten stated as he made her way out of their king sized bed.

"Tenten, I did what I had to do. He was causing me and the company bad publicity!" Barked Itachi.

_"Hmm well isn't it a little funny that business increased significantly during that time, Itachi dear?"_

He fell silent, not wanting to admit that his wife was correct. "Can you head to the office? We have a new intern and I need to know that she can be trusted."


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I would like to personally thank my first reviewer, Deidaraluffer. I am forever in your debt. And I would also like to thank my great companion, Ember-Elric-x for helping me to title this story and for posting the second review. Thank you both very much! I do wanna say, if there is some out of character-ness, i suppose that's just too bad... I did note that this is an Alternate Universe story... so... The characters are slightly tweaked. :3 I do appreciate you taking the time to read! I also wanted to say, I'm sorry for the Sakura and Temari bashing. I don't really have anything against either of those two, but... It's for the sake of the story! Really! Please continue to R&R. You're awesome!**

**NARUTO**  
**AU**  
**INTERNAL AFFAIRS**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_**Chapter two: Sadness, fights, and late-late nights**_

* * *

Ino was fairing quite well on her first day as an intern for Uchiha Enterprises. She began to grow familiar with her surroundings and if she was asked to go and get anything, she at least knew where to get it. Sasuke was showing her the copy room and how to work the xerox machine while others around them stabled things together, sent faxes and scurried around frantically. But there was casual chit chat between all of the employees and the overall atmosphere was rather lighthearted.

"If you need to make a double-sided copy you only have to press this button here." Sasuke instructed, snapping Ino out of her only momentary trance. She looked at the yellow button the man pointed to and took notice, giving him a nod. He noticed a slight discomfort in the girl's expression, feeling as though she may be overwhelmed. Sasuke chuckled a bit, leaned against the machine and gave her a small smile. "There's not really a dull moment here. So if you were thinking of making copies of your ass, you can forget it."

Ino's cheeks reddened with embarrassment, she hadn't expected such a stoic man to make such a snide remark, however, those around him seemed to chuckle and give Ino welcoming smiles. This brought her to ease as she relaxed a bit at their kind responses. She had expected more of a fight for respect, but she was pleasantly surprised to know that she already had it. Most likely because the Vice President was leading her about.

Suddenly, the entire room fell silent, and all who were chatting went straight back to work. The sound of heels clacking on the hard tile floors could be heard in mixture with the shuffling of papers and the beeping of the fax machine. Sasuke grabbed his suit jacket off the counter and slung it over his shoulder, glancing at Ino who looked rather perplexed.

It didn't take long for her to figure out why the employee's work ethic had done a complete 180. A woman with long chocolate hair that hung to the middle of her back in loose waves approached. She was wearing black and red stilettos and a tight fitting black dress and everyone in the copy room stared as she stopped in the doorway. Ino couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't taken her over sized sunglasses off of her round face, but once she spotted Sasuke, the glasses were removed.

"Hello, Sasuke. I take it this.." She gestured to Ino. "Is our newest addition?"

"Yes, this is Miss Ino Yamanaka. Ino this is our lead administrator Tenten Uchiha." Sasuke introduced the two and quickly Ino extended her hand to the woman. Sasuke watched as Tenten hesitantly shook the girl's hand.

"Well if I may, Sasuke, I think I'll borrow her from you for a bit." Said Tenten as she narrowed her dark brown eyes at the man beside Ino.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as well, but nodded in approval as there was nothing he could do._ Don't kill her, Tenten. She's actually a smart one._ Sasuke plead mentally as he watched the intern walk away with his brother's wife.

_This has got to be the woman that Temari warned me about earlier_. Ino thought anxiously to herself as they reached the fourth floor. Ino had not been on this floor before, so she was curious as to what was there, but Sasuke had assured that in due time she would see it.

"These are the executive offices for the company. Why don't you join me in mine, miss Yamanaka." Tenten requested politely as she opened the first door to their right after stepping off the elevator.

A little reluctant, Ino stepped inside of the office and watched Tenten close the door and take a seat behind a large wooden desk, neat and well kept. There were two seats in front of the desk that Ino looked at, unsure what her next move should be. She never expected to be so intimidated by another female.

"Go ahead and take a seat." Said the woman as she placed her purse on the desk and rolled her chair closer. She casually placed her elbows on the surface of the desk and softly smiled at Ino.

Ino obliged and took a seat in front of the desk, straightening her skirt afterward. The woman's kind smile put Ino at a little more ease, but Ino could see in the woman's eyes that she wasn't a nasty shark like all the other employees let on. "Why is it you wished to see me, Miss Uchiha?"

"You see, I like to start off on the right foot with future employees. I know very well that you've already been interviewed and hired, but I would like to get to know you." Stated the woman as she straightened a photo on her desk.

Ino nodded and looked at the photo that had just been re-positioned. It appeared to be Tenten with a man beside her that strongly resembled Sasuke with a much harsher expression. "Is that you and your husband?"

"Why yes it is. Thank you for noticing." Stated Tenten, smiling at the thought. "His name is Itachi, I'm sure you'll meet him tomorrow."

"You make a nice pair." Ino noted as she returned her gaze to the woman before her.

"Thank you again, Ino." Tenten said. "Are you married?"

"No," started Ino as she let out a quiet sigh. "Just haven't found the one I suppose."

"I'm sure you will in due time." Tenten paused for a moment before continuing. "So why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself."

"Sure!" Ino chimed.

* * *

Sasuke pulled up into his driveway and put his car into park, reluctant to get out of the vehicle after a long, yet eventful day at work. "God dammit." He mumbled to himself as he prepared to have a conversation with his wife about sentimental shit that they learned from their counseling sessions.

Turning the key, he pocketed them and dragged his feet to the front door and swung it open. He removed his shoes and placed them neatly on the mat to the right of the door and hung his keys on the key ring. He then made his way to the couch lazily and plopped down. The one good perk about having Sakura was that his 17,000 square foot home stayed immaculate and sparkling.

"What do you say when you walk in the door, Sasuke?" Came a voice from the kitchen.

Sasuke threw his head back and tried to remain calm. "I'm home." He grumbled.

"Did you take your shoes off?"

"Yes, I did." He replied annoyed.

Soon, the pink haired girl bopped out of the kitchen, wiping her floury hands on a frilly pastel blue apron. "How was your day, sweetie?" She said softly as she sauntered up to him on the couch and straddled him with one knee on each side of him.

"It was fine." He mumbled, looking away.

"How was counseling? What did you learn?"

_Not even five damn minutes._ "Great. Learned a lot."

Sakura sat up and placed her feet firmly on the ground. "You don't sound very convincing." Crossing her arms, she glared at him, waiting for a response.

Sasuke was about to come up with something to say, but the beeping of the oven came to his rescue. Sakura dashed into the kitchen to tend to their dinner and Sasuke lay back on the couch. Grabbing a throw pillow, he did his best to smother himself to no avail.

"It's ready!" Sakura cried as she placed two plates on their dining table. Sasuke forced himself up and threw the pillow back down onto the couch. He approached the table and looked up at the crystal chandelier, staring at multiple tiny reflections of himself.

"Sasuke!"

"Hm?"

"Sit down and eat."

"Yeah."

* * *

"Well, well well, it isn't every day that my husband gets home before me." Tenten said as she came through the front door.

Itachi was at their dining room table, sifting through paperwork. He looked up from his place and smiled at the brunette. "Evening."

"Evening. Are you cooking dinner?!" Tenten exclaimed as she joined him, standing behind his chair.

"Mhm." He replied with a smile as he turned to face her. Shortly after he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her in front of him. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her, burying his face in her chest.

Tenten dropped her purse and began to pet his head. "I think we can trust the intern. In fact, the girl is very sharp. She could be useful, and we should most likely hire her on full time soon."

Itachi looked up at his wife, perplexed. "But she just started today. We can't be 100% sure we can trust her completely. "

"No, you're right. But I just have a feeling. I like her. "

"You don't like anyone."

"That's because I don't want anyone trying to snag you from me!" Tenten teased as she continued to run her fingers through Itachi's long, black hair.

"That's impossible." He said, closing his eyes. "You're too good to let go."

"Ah you're such a liar."

Itachi chuckled at her remark, knowing full well she knew he was truthful.

* * *

"Ahhhh what a long day." Ino sighed to herself as she collapses on her back, Landing on her soft, purple bed. She looked around at the few boxes she had yet to unpack, lacking the energy to unpack the remainder of the things she needed to. Snagging her phone from the nightstand, she dialed her father.

_"Hey, there's my girl!"_ Said a cheerful voice from the other end.

"Hey daddy. I'm surprised you're still up." Replied Ino as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her head felt so relived after being freed from her pony tail.

_"Ah, you told me you'd call and let me know how your first day won't. So I waited."_

"Oh daddy." Ino smiled.

_"Go ahead, tell me how it went."_ He urged.

"It was pretty good surprisingly. The Vice President of the company was training me and showing me the ropes today."

_"Vice President, eh?"_

She sighed quietly and closed her big, ocean eyes. "Yeah, he was rather charming." Ino couldn't help but smile as she thought of him.

_"Oh it was a he? Well you don't say?"_

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure he's married. I think I noticed a ring on his hand." Ino shook her head in disappointment, despite the fact her father could not see her.

_"Ah, well I'm sure there are others out there. What else happened today?"_ He asked, changing the subject after hearing the sad tone in his daughter's voice.

"Well the CEO's wife had a private meeting with me. Apparently she scares a lot of the employees, but to me she seemed rather nice." Ino said as she fiddled with the strings on her pajama pants.

_"Well she's probably being nice to you at first, but as you get to know her, the true colors will show. That's usually how they are."_ Inoichi explained.

"I suppose you're right."

* * *

"Isn't dinner good?" Sakura asked as she stared at the man across from her in anticipation. But Sasuke's un-amused expression remained unchanged.

"Yes, Sakura. It is." He replied as he took a small bite of the potatoes on his plate. He could feel her green eyes burning a hole in him as she stared him down.

"Why can't you ever compliment me?!" She cried, slamming her fork and knife down onto the table.

Sasuke jumped a little at the sudden slamming noise. He blinked a few times and looked her dead in the eye. "If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a quiet guy. We've been together for two years, you should know that about me."

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes, picking up her silver wear once more. "Guess you're right, huh!" She started to cut her meat delicately before stopping and looking back at him. "So my therapist seems to think that you don't pay enough attention to me, and that bringing a child into the picture could help. Maybe we should have a little fun tonight, what do you say?"

It was Sasuke's turn to drop his silver wear. "Are you kidding me?" He choked out as his ebony eyes widened in confusion. "Sakura, just how selfish are you?"

Sakura looked at him, flabbergasted. "Wh-what?"

"You think bringing a kid into this world is gonna solve all our problems?!" He glared angrily at her. "I can't believe you. In this environment? With you constantly screaming at me, we can't ever get along! You think that's good for a kid to be around? We don't have our shit together."

"You're the one who is selfish, denying me of what I want!"

"Have you ever asked me what I want, Sakura? Once?" Sasuke questioned.

Sakura fell completely silent, still continuing t look at Sasuke with wide, tearful eyes.

"Goodnight." Sasuke spat as he got up from the table angrily, and stormed off to bed.

* * *

The following morning, Itachi rose early to ready himself for the day. He looked to his side, noticing his companion was not there. Swinging his long legs off the edge of the bed, he got up and made his way to the living room. There he saw his wife, sprawled out on the table, surrounded by paperwork still in her dress from the day before._ Oh Tenten_. He thought to himself as he walked over to the girl. He placed a gentle hand on her back.

"Hey." He whispered, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

"Hmmm..." She jolted up and rubbed her eyes.

"When did you fall asleep?" He asked.

"Oh, about an hour ago." Tenten mumbled drowsily.

"Dammit." Itachi quickly lifted her from the table and took her back into their bedroom where he lay her down gently. "That insomnia getting the best of you again?"

"I still had some things to do...just couldn't sleep. Then Sakura called and said there was a big fight between her and Sasuke." She said snuggling into the blankets.

"Are you serious?" Itachi asked after sitting next to her.

Tenten only nodded, too tired to speak.

"Alright, get some sleep, I'll call you later." He kissed her cheek and lingered for a moment before getting ready.

* * *

Ino walked into Uchiha Enterprises and was greeted by Deidara. "Morning, gorgeous!" The blonde chimed, standing from his position at the desk. He looked rather dapper in his deep red button up.

Ino give a small smile and greeted him as well. "Morning." She said, smoothing out her lavender blouse. She was very eager to get the day started and to find out what was in store.

It was shortly after they exchanged their 'good mornings' that a tall, well built man with dark brown hair walked into the building.

"Eyyy! Momochi!" Deidara yelled as he leapt over the desk and rushed to the man, giving him a welcoming hug.

The man hugged Deidara back and patted him on the back. "Where's the big man?"

"Don't know, should be here shortly though. " replied Deidara as he returned to his post. "Hey Zabuza, meet our new intern, Ino."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Ino." The man said as he extended his hand to the girl.

Ino shook his hand and smiled brightly. "Same here, Mr. Momochi."

They were still shaking hands when Sasuke walked into the building. He looked a bit tired, but he still was well presented in his suit and tie. "Oh, look who's back!" He exclaimed as a cheerful smile spread across his face.

When Ino saw his smile, she couldn't explain the feeling that was rising up within her. It felt like her heart stopped momentarily, even though the smile wasn't intended for her at all. The two men exchanged small talk for a few brief moments before another man entered the offices. It was the man she had seen in the photo on Tenten's desk.

He was taller than Sasuke by at least a head and his shoulders were a bit more broad. His expression was stern and Ino swore a chill came into the room as soon as he did. She gulped hard, trying not to stare.

"Oh, Ino." Sasuke spoke as he noticed the blonde. He found himself oddly disappointed that her legs were covered in black dress pants. "Good morning, I'd like you to meet my brother, the CEO, Itachi."

"Oh, yes. Of course! It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Uchiha." Ino spoke, giving him a respectful bow.

"The pleasure is all mine. From what I hear, you left quite the impression on my wife." The man spoke with a small smile upon his face.

Raising up, Ino blushed, rather surprised. But from the looks of things, she was not the only one who was surprised.

"Congratulations." Said the taller man, known as Zabuza. "You've done the impossible."

"Tch, yeah. No shit." Deidara said as he spun around in his chair.

"Language, Deidara. Itachi warned. "Now miss Ino, I have a meeting with these two in my office on the fifth floor. We all take our coffee black with two sugars, after that I'll have some copies for you to make."

"Oh! Y-yes sir!" Ino chimed with a smile, and she quickly made her way to the break room to get things started.

"Damn, damn, damn."

"She's the same age as your daughter, Zabuza." Itachi stated as he walked toward the elevator.

"How is my daughter, by the way." Zabuza asked, flowing him. Sasuke too, joined them in the elevator.

Itachi sighed. "Her insomnia is back. She didn't sleep a wink last night."

"She's been that way for a long, long time." Zabuza shook his head. The trio finally reached the fifth floor, which was one entire office. It was the size of a small apartment. And furnished like one too. There were three large, sectional leather couches, a coffee maker and TV. And Itachi's desk was like a conference table.

Sitting down, they all got comfortable before conversing. "How was your trip to Suna?" Itachi inquired of the man.

"Ahh, it was relatively successful. I think we struck a deal." Zabuza smiled and put his hands behind his head casually.

"Transporting the weapons down there would be rather difficult, don't you agree?" Said Sasuke as he leaned on the desk with his elbows.

"This is true, but I have some ideas. I just need some time. Listen, Itachi. You're gonna have to hire a book keeper you can trust because I can't keep runnin' guns and keepin' your accounts in check. It's gettin' to be too much for an old guy like me." Zabuza replied.

"I know, I know. Tenten seems to think we can trust the newbie. In fact, she says she is rather smart. She wants to fast track her internship and get her going ASAP. So just hang in there, and we will get it figured out." Just after Itachi finished reassuring his father-in-law, the three heard the elevator door open. The room fell silent as the blonde girl exited the elevator and hesitantly entered into the office where the three men sat.

"Come on in." Itachi assured. Ino nodded and stood next to to the desk, right beside Sasuke.

"Okay, three black coffees with two sugars each." Ino stated as she carefully set the drink carrier down on the desk. Itachi gave her a nod and rose from his seat.

"Thank you, Ino. I appreciate that. I do have some copies for you to make." He said as he walked over to the edge of the room where two small stacks of papers sat atop a granite counter top. He took the papers and handed them to the girl. "I need 60 copies of these, front to back, and when you're finished with that, I need 60 copies of this, one sided. Staple one copy each together and bring them to Deidara when you are finished. You may as well take him a coffee while you're at it. He takes his with lots of cream and sugar, but be sure to give him decaf, otherwise he is just absolutely ridiculous." Itachi said as he studied the girl. She seemed to be on top of things, so he wasn't too worried about overloading her with too much at one time.

"Yes sir. I'll get these done right away." Ino replied kindly. She glanced at Sasuke momentarily, and noticed that he was looking back at her. Quickly she returned her focus to Itachi. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment. Once you're finished with those copies, ask Deidara if he could use a hand with anything. The three of us will be in a meeting for a while. After we are done, I'm certain Sasuke will notify you of any other tasks we need you for."

"Alright. Thank you, sir." Ino replied as she turned to leave.

"Thanks for the coffee! Don't forget what I told you about the copy room." Sasuke teased.

Ino never turned back to face him, she held the papers tightly in her hand, blushing furiously. Quickly she escaped into the elevator and headed back to the first floor.

* * *

Making the copies for Itachi went by quicker than she had anticipated. She was grateful for such an efficient copier machine. Soon, Ino lay the thick stack of papers on the desk before Deidara, along side a steaming cup of coffee.

"What's that?" Deidara asked, eyeing the ceramic mug, curiosity dancing in his dark blue eyes.

"That's for you." Ino replied.

"Awww! For me! Do you have a crush on me or something?" Deidara teased as he grabbed the mug and took a sip. "Perfect. Way to go, newbie."

"No, I don't have a crush on you. And you're welcome." Ino replied firmly as she leaned on the desk a little. _He's only teasing, right?_

"And the papers?"

"For Mr. Uchiha once he is out of the meeting." She stated.

"Alright, thanks. Got anything else to do?" Deidara inquired, looking up at the girl.

"No, not really. I was told to assist you if you needed it."

"Well, actually I could. Can you run this to the second floor and give it to Temari. She has a message." Deidara asked as he handed her a pink post-it note.

"Sure, absolutely!" Ino replied. She happily made her way to the second floor, eager to notify Temari that the boss's wife was not nearly as evil as she painted her to be. She approached the administrative hall and looked around for the girl with the multi-pony-tail hair style. It didn't take her long to find her, seeing as how once Temari spotted Ino, she approached her rapidly.

"What are you doing her, newbie? Didn't Mrs. Uchiha eat you alive?" She spat, a serious scowl painted on her face.

"No, actually, she didn't. I thought she was rather kind. I don't know what your problem is with her, but don't try to bring me in on it." Ino warned. "Here, you have a message."

Temari swiped the pink note out of Ino's hand before she could even hand it to her. "You friggin' bitch. You have no idea what she's capable of." She barked. "You'll find out though. Trust me."

"Sound's to me like you have personal issues. Not work issues." Ino said, turning away and heading to the elevator. _Did she really just call me that?! If I wasn't new here I would've decked her in the face._

"Oh... That's not gonna fly with me." Temari mumbled.

* * *

"Anything else I can do?!" Ino asked Deidara after delivering the message.

"Yeah, you could sweep the front corridor, I suppose. The broom is in that closet by the stair case." Deidara informed.

"Alright, I'm on it." Ino quickly hopped to her task, efficiently sweeping the entire area free of any dust, or debris of any kind. She happily hummed a tune as she did so. Deidara subtly watched her, noting how well she did what she was asked, with no hesitations. He hadn't ever seen an intern work so hard, and do it with a smile on their face.

"Where is Tenten!?" Boomed an angry, female voice from the stairwell. Ino and Deidara both looked up and noticed Temari marching down the stairs angrily.

"She's probably at home, why?" Deidara replied, after taking a sip of his warm, fresh coffee.

"Tell that woman I'll be in her office waiting for her. We need to talk." And with that, Temari stormed right back up the stairs, like a toddler having a tantrum.

"Oh Lord have mercy, we're about to have a serious showdown." Deidara said wearily as he picked up the front desk phone to call Tenten. Before the he had time to dial any numbers, the second line rang and Deidara promptly answered. "Uchiha Enter... Oh hey boss. There was a loud crashing noise below you? Temari said she would be waiting in Tenten's office until she could talk to Tenten herself, she didn't tell me what the problem was. Your meeting is over?. I'll send Ino up then. Bye." He put the phone down and looked at Ino. "The boss wants you." Ino was rather nervous now, seeing as how the last encounter she had with Temari was not by any means a friendly one.

"Am I in trouble?" Ino asked as she slowly approached Deidara's desk.

"No, why would you be?" He questioned as he looked at her, a little concerned.

"Well, Temari called me a... well, she called me a bitch, and I told her she had problems." Ino said nervously as she clasped her hands together and looked down.

Suddenly, Deidara burst into laughter and slammed his hand down onto the desk repetitively. "Oh! That's great! No, no! You won't be in trouble in the least. Good for you, newbie!"

* * *

"Why don't you take Deidara and Ino out to lunch Sasuke. I don't know what's going on with Temari, but I don't want Ino to see it." Itachi asked his brother before the intern had made her way up to his office. "The last thing I want is for her to get caught up in some drama and quit on us like the last intern. From what I hear, she seems to be excellent.

"I can do that." He said happily. Going out with Deidara was always entertaining, adding a beautiful girl into the mix and you had a great day in store._ Wait, am I... attracted to... Nah, she's just a girl..._ "And yes, yesterday she did quite well. She's a really fast learner too. I don't mind taking her and Deidara to lunch."

"What, I can't go?" Zabuza pouted, crossing his arms.

"No, I need you here in case your daugher tries to kill someone." Itachi said.

"Yeah, yeah." Zabuza said.

"So this lunch is on the company card, right?" Sasuke inqired slyly, taking complete advantage of his brother's frantic state.

"Yes, that's fine. Just go." Itachi urged as he walked over to his desk. "I need to call Tenten, so please leave my office."

Sasuke and Zauza were quick to oblige their CEO's request and made their way to the elevator where Ino was just emerging from.

"Let's go to lunch." Sasuke said with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**WOW WOW WOW! Seriously guys, thank you so much! I am overwhelmed by the sudden popularity of this story. Thank you for all of your kind reviews, private messages, follows, and favorites. I truly, truly appreciate it. Even to all of my guest reviewers. You all make this so worth it!**

**Once more I do apologize for the Sakura and Temari bashing. Like I said before, I have nothing against those two characters, but for the sake of this story... well... they're jerks. Regarding the statement someone made about pairing Tenten with Itachi; I know it's a weird one! Certainly I understand why you would be curious as to why on earth I picked them to be together. Even DeidaraxTenten would be more realistic (If you watch the Rock Lee Spinoff, you'll know what I'm talking about). But You see, Tenten is my favorite character in Naruto. I love pairing her with the 'bad boy' if you will. This fic is really about Sasuke and Ino, but my love for Tenten and Itachi could not be withheld, so that's why she's in here too. Rather prominently and I do hope that doesn't bug you. :3 **

**NARUTO  
AU  
INTERNAL AFFAIRS**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_**Chapter three**: **Fights**_

* * *

Ino was relatively surprised when the Vice President asked her to lunch, but she was also glad he did. She gave him a small nod and smiled. "Sure, just let me grab my purse." She replied, whipping back around and heading to the elevator. "You going down?"

Sasuke smirked. "Not yet, I'll meet you at the front desk." He said with a knowing look.

"Alright, sounds good." Ino said after pressing the button to the first floor. The heavy, stainless steel doors closed and Sasuke looked at Zabuza.

"Aren't you supposed to be at counseling?" Zabuza inquired as he raised his eyebrows. Sasuke's marital issues were not a secret to most the employees in the company, especially those who were close with Itachi and Sasuke.

"Uhh... Yep." Sasuke smirked once more and pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. "I'll just reschedule it for this evening."

"I'm telling you kid, that damn counseling ain't gonna change a friggin' thing." Zabuza informed as he pressed the button for the elevator.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." He put the phone to his ear. "See ya in a bit." He paused for a moment, watching Zabuza take his leave while he listened to the dial tone in his ear. He then leaned against the wall, waiting for a response.

_"Thanks for calling 'Lives Together' how can I assist you today?" _Said the receptionist on the other end.

"Yeah, my name is Sasuke Uchiha. I have an appointment with Hinata, but I need to reschedule." He stated while fidgeting with his blue tie, flipping it up and down. There was a slight pause from the receptionist before she replied.

_"Okay, Mr. Uchiha... Looks like we can fit you in this evening around 5 P.M. Does that work for you?"_ Said the woman.

"Yeah, sure that'll do." He released his tie and lidded his eyes, disappointed that they were able to reschedule him so quickly within the same day. _Damn_. He thought.

_"Okay, we'll see you then, Mr. Uchiha. Have a fabulous day."_

"I'll do my best." He said before promptly hanging up and stuffing his phone into its rightful place in his pocket. He knew that his actions would cost him. Sakura was going to demand some serious explanation. He rolled his dark eyes and stepped into the elevator, savoring the silence that he knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy once he got home later in the evening.

Once he made it to the first floor he noticed Ino leaning against the front desk with a purple, sequin covered purse slung over her right shoulder. She turned and looked at the approaching man, putting a smile on her face. "Ready?" He asked, mentally debating on whether or not he should take Deidara or not. He enjoyed lunch with his friend, but something about Ino was compelling to Sasuke. He wanted to spend a little time alone with the girl, although he knew he shouldn't. He let out a silent sigh and knocked on the desk. "You too, pervert."

"Oh, you want me to join you for lunch huh?" Deidara instantly perked up like a puppy being offered a treat. "Oh Sasuke, I never thought you'd ask." Deidara poked as he hopped over the desk and threw his jacket over his shoulders.

Ino giggled to herself as he watched the exchange between the two. It made her feel a lot more comfortable around Deidara knowing that he teased everyone in an inappropriate manor, male or female. It was just personality.

"Oh honey, you know it." Sasuke teased as he looked at Deidara with a smug look on his face. Deidara then proceeded to sling his arm around Sasuke. "Don't touch me, weirdo." Sasuke barked as he shoved the blonde away.

"Hey can I drive?" Deidara asked as the three of them made their way out the front door.

"No." Sasuke answered promptly, unlocking the hottest looking car in the parking lot.

"That's yours?" Ino managed to whisper as she stared at the vehicle, mouth hanging agape.

Sasuke turned around, standing on the sidewalk. He couldn't help but smile, taking notice of the girl's admiration of the vehicle. _Hmm... She likes cars huh?_

"No doubt that's a V-8 engine, right?" She asked, closing her mouth and putting a hand on her hip, still looking at the vehicle. She then watched Sasuke's eyebrows raise, and a smile crept onto his face.

"Why yes, yes it is." He spoke, walking over to the passengers side and opening the door for her.

Ino smiled and hopped into the front seat while Deidara made an annoyed face.

"I distinctly remember calling shotgun!"

"Deidara, you said no such thing." Sasuke stated as he pushed his front seat forward so the tall man could climb into the back.

Sitting in the middle seat in the back, Deidara did his best to get comfortable in such a cramped space. "I said it in my head." He mumbled.

* * *

The Sushi restaurant was extremely busy, but that was due to the fact that it was the most well-known Sushi establishments in all of Konoha. It was very high end, and items on the menus were ridiculously lavish and overpriced, so Ino was carefully debating what items she could get without becoming overdrawn in her bank account.

Noticing some indecision coming from the girl, Sasuke who was seated next to her, gave her a slight nudge. "Hey, lunch is on Itachi so don't sweat it you two. Get whatever you want." He smiled.

"Hell yeah!" Deidara exclaimed. "Let's get some sake up in here!"

"No, Deidara. Despite the fact that you are Itachi's best friend, I still think he'd fire you if you showed up to work shit-faced." Sasuke warned.

Ino couldn't help but smile at their playful and familiar banter. For some reason she felt so at ease with these people that she barely knew. They certainly balanced one another out quite well.

"So, miss Ino..." Deidara started as he turned his gaze to the girl. "What's your husband say about the new job?"

Ino frowned, annoyed that she was reminded of her single relationship status. "Oh, I don't have a husband." She hated it when anyone brought it up, it always made her feel foolish, and alone.

"Well that's good. Don't rush into anything." Deidara assured, softening his expression significantly.

"How bout you, Deidara? Are you married?" She asked him in return.

His posture changed instantly upon hearing the question, he sat up straight and scratched the back of his head a little nervously. "Well, she... She's uh seeing other people."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories." Ino appogized, feeling terrible for bringing it up.

"Nah! Don't worry about it." He gave her a reassuring smile and turned to Sasuke. "So, how bout you, ol boy? How's that wife a yours?"

Sasuke let out a loud sigh and lidded his eyes, obviously ticked off by the question. "It is what it is." He answered plainly, avoiding eye contact with the blonde male._ Why did you bring that up, idiot!?_

"I thought you were married. What's your wife like?" Ino questioned innocently, although she could tell by his reaction to Deidara's question that it may be a touchy subject.

"Let me ask you something, Ino." Sasuke started as he put both his elbows on the table and leaned toward her. "Have you ever seen a pink, fire breathing dragon with big, demonic emerald eyes?"

Ino drew back just a bit, contorting her face into a confused expression. "Uh.. No I can't say that I have."

"Well, that's what she's like." He replied, leaning back in his chair and picking his menu back up.

Before anyone could say anything more, a frantic man wearing a white apron and short chef's hat came rushing to the table. "Where is your brother?" He asked, looking down at Sasuke. You could tell the man was rather worried by his fidgety behavior. Sasuke closed his menu and looked up.

"He's in the offices right now, Mr. Ya.."

"Big trouble, need to talk to you in the kitchen." The man interrupted. "Hurry!"

Sasuke waisted no time standing. "You two hang tight, I'll be right back." He stated before heading off into the heart of the restaurant.

Ino looked at Deidara, perplexed. "What was that all about?"

"Well, Mr. Yamato has a loan out with our company, it could have something to do with that." Deidara replied nervously, hoping his fib would be sufficient.

"Oh, I see." Ino replied with a smile and a nod. She disregarded the matter quickly, her mind was too busy wondering what Sasuke meant about his wife. She knew she probably shouldn't, but she decided to take advantage of Sasuke's absence to question Deidara about it. "So... What's the situation with Sasuke and his wife?"

_Hhmmm... Someone has a crush on our VP, now don't they?_ He thought to himself with a smug look. "Well, to put it bluntly, Ino, Sasuke hates her."

"But why?" Ino pried, hoping she wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

Deidara bobbed his head to the side, debating on what to say. Finally, he answered. "Cause she's a friggin' dragon. You heard the man. "

"So I take it their relationship is pretty rocky then?"

"Yeah, he's going through counseling to see if they can work it out. But I've already said too much, so don't ask me anymore."

_Meanwhile, in the kitchen_

"What's going on, Yamato?" Sasuke questioned once he was sure they were alone and in a secure area.

"Last night, we had a break in. One of my employees got pretty roughed up. I was hoping you could bring us some sort of 'security'."

Sasuke looked around, with shifty eyes, scanning the area before speaking. "Okay, what kind of 'security' are we talking? Glocks, AKs?"

"Give me a range of things, it wasn't just some kids off the street. I'm pretty sure we're dealing with a gang." The man replied.

"Okay, why don't you come by the office and take out a loan with Itachi. He'll set you up."

"I can do that. How bout tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds great." Sasuke said before shaking the man's hand. The two exchanged good byes and he shortly returned to the table and took a seat next to his coworkers, who seemed happy about his return. "Ready to order?"

_Back at the office_

Itachi had called her three times now, but the girl simply would not answer. _She's out cold_. He thought to himself, hanging up the phone in annoyance. He had stubborn employee barricading herself in his wife's office. Refusing to speak to anyone but Tenten, Who was most likely sleeping contently. Sighing, he decided to give it one last try, but this time he dialed her from his office phone.

It rang a few times, and just when it was about to play her voice mail greeting, she picked up._ "Hello?" _She asked, quietly.

"I'm sorry to bug you, but we have a problem." Itachi mumbled as he placed a hand on his head, rubbing his temples.

_"Oh great, what is it this time?"_ Tenten replied, sitting up in bed. She couldn't be certain what to expect, and the urgency in his voice alarmed her greatly.

"Temari locked herself in your office. She won't leave until you come and talk to her." He informed, plopping down into his chair behind the desk.

_"You're kidding me?!"_

"I wish I was."

_"I'll be down in a minute."_

* * *

Tenten finally arrived at Uchiha Enterprises about an hour after her husband had called. She stormed into the front doors angrily, anticipating the worst from her most troublesome employee.

"Aren't you even gonna say 'hi' to your old man?" Came a voice from behind the front desk. Tenten had walked right passed it, not even noticing the fact that Deidara was gone, and that Zabuza had taken his place.

She whipped around, the dual buns atop her head staying perfectly positioned. "When did you get back, dad?"

"Last night." He replied, stepping away from the circular desk to hug her. "Itachi told me you're not sleeping." He said, holding her close.

The last thing she wanted to do was let go of her father's comforting embrace, but she knew that something urgent awaited her, and she had no time to spare. "Yeah well, I'll tell you about it later, right now I've got something to deal with."

"Okay Tenten, see you in a bit." He smiled at her as she turned and made her way up the staircase. Rarely used by anyone, Tenten utilized it when she was angry to let out bent up frustrations.

Finally, she reached the fourth floor, where her office was located and she hurriedly made it to her door. She grabbed the knob, turned it and swinging the door open. There sat Temari in Tenten's ergo office chair, toying with a photo on her desk. Suddenly, the blonde jumped to her feet and glowered at the brunette.

"Your new employee is a complete and total bitch! She spit in my face today and told me I had mental problems!" Temari exclaimed frantically, rushing to her boss

"That's nice, Temari. Please Get out of my office now." Tenten said calmly, although she was extremely annoyed with the current situation. She studied her office subtly, seeing if anything was out of place.

"You're not gonna do anything about that?" She questioned, stepping closer to Tenten and narrowing her eyes as if to threaten her.

"I don't believe you, Temari. Quite frankly I think you're just jealous of her. You were the only attractive single woman in the office for a while, but the second someone better comes along, you're trying to mark your territory." Tenten stated, not backing away a single inch as Temari drew closer to her.

"I've worked for you for years!" Temari shrieked. "And you're picking her over me?"

"That's the gist of it, yes."

"I'll ruin you, Tenten." The blonde spat, tiring her back and storming back to the desk. She then picked up he photo of Tenten and Itachi that sat upon the desk and ran her fingertips across the glass. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you and Itachi." With this, Temari smirked, dropped the photo and smashed the glass with the heel of her stiletto, her eyes darting back to Tenten to observe her reaction.

At her sides, Tenten clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, desperately trying not to overreact. "Temari, you need to leave. You being in my office and complaining to me about something that never happened is ridiculous."

"Is it now?" She strode behind Tenten's desk and flung open a drawer of paperwork. Roughly, she yanked the drawer out and dumped it all over the office floors. "I would hate for all of your paper work to get messed up."

"What do you want, Temari!?" Tenten shouted, her temper obviously flaring.

"I want you to fire the new girl!"

"I have no reason to! She's a perfectly good employee and has done nothing to deserve a termination!"

"You're so unloyal!" Temari suddenly sat herself onto Tenten's desk and placed her hands on Tenten's iMac computer.

"Don't touch that!" Tenten exclaimed, rushing toward her desk at full speed.

"Hn." Temari smiled a devious smile and shoved the hardware onto the floor, causing it to snap in half. Tenten's eye began to twitch as she looked around her office and all of the chaos that the girl had caused. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Tenten lunged toward the desk and grabbed hold of Temari's wrist, she then dragged her across the surface of the desk, to the other side and pulled her off. Luckily for Temari, she landed on her feet. "How dare you!" Tenten spat. "Just who do you think you are!?"

"You deserved everything that came your way, Tenten." Temari glared intensely in Tenten's direction and before Tenten knew it, Temari swung a hard right hook and planted her fist right onto Tenten's left cheek.

Tenten's eyes widened and she stumbled back, her hands instinctively holding onto her throbbing cheek. "That's it. I'm not playing nice anymore, Temari." Tenten wound up and swung at Temari, who dodged easily and planted another firm blow onto Tenten's opposite cheek. Angry, Tenten grabbed the girl by the collar and slammed her into the door of the office. "For the record, Temari, you're fired!" She cried before slamming her hard into the door again. She then cocked her fist back and pounded into Temari's face, causing her nose to bleed. She couldn't stop once she had started, and she continued to strike the girl until she saw her eyes roll back and her shoulders slumped. Tenten let her go and watched her body fall to the ground limply.

_Shit..._ Tenten thought to herself as she stared down at the girl. Shaking, she rushed to her office phone and dialed Itachi in a panic. Her hands were trembling, and she was barely able to hold onto the phone.

_"Yeah?"_ Came Itachi's voice from the other end.

"I-Itachi I... Uh.." Her voice cracked and the pain in her face began to increase as her adrenaline ran out.

_"What happened, are you alright?" _He asked concerned, noting the strangeness in his wife's voice.

"You... You better call the police."

* * *

"Thank you again for lunch, Sasuke." Ino said politely as she, Sasuke and Deidara pulled up into the parking lot of their work place.

"No problem. We'll have to do it again sometime." He replied as he looked over at her in the passenger's seat. His eyes lingered there for a moment, he was unable to look away. She had such a natural beauty, it was magnetic.

"Shit dude, the police are here. And an ambulance." Deidara noted as he looked out the window from the back seat, breaking Sasuke from his enchantment.

"Oh no." Sasuke said as he hastily unfastened his seatbelt and jumped out of the car.

Ino too, rushed out side to see what the commotion was all about. She looked to Sasuke, concerned and frightened. She found herself drawing close to him, and Sasuke did not seem to mind.

Deidara leapt out of the car and rushed inside, Ino and Sasuke in tow. There were about four officers in the front offices questioning Zabuza and Itachi, and some paramedics were tending to a female on a stretcher, wheeling her out. As she passed, the trio recognized her as Temari. The girl's face was quite swollen and bruised, but she seemed to be swearing and mumbling on about how she hated it here.

"What did Tenten do?" Deidara asked Sasuke, but Sasuke ignored him and strode up to the officers who were questioning Itachi. It was never a good thing when the police came snooping around the offices.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked his brother, a look of fear and concern written all over his face.

"Oh, you know. Tenten got into a little suffle." Itachi responded, but it was evident to Sasuke that his brother was a lot more concerned than he let on.

"But from what we gather from her statement, this was in self defence. She's being questioned at the moment, and I've got an officer reviewing her security footage from her office." Said the man Sasuke assumed to be the officer in charge.

"Why don't you have everyone get back to work, Sasuke. I can take care of this here. Once the officer in Tenten's office is finished, help Ino put Tenten's office back in order." Itachi instructed, giving his brother a knowing look.

Sasuke returned this with a nod, and walked back to Ino and Deidara who were staring at their surroundings in shock.

"Dude, what happened?" Deidara whispered, drawing closer to Sasuke and pulling Ino in with him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "Tenten got in a fight with Temari. She's claiming it was self defense, but it's hard to say if that was really the case."

"Shit. You think Tenten could go to jail?" Deidara asked.

"She shouldn't if it was self defense." Ino chimed in.

"Yeah, well let's just pray that it was." Sasuke replied. "For the mean time, we all need to get back to work."

* * *

After reviewing the footage in Tenten's office, there was now decisive decision as to whether or not the act was self defense or not, seeing as how she dragged Temari off the desk. The police decided to take the video to their chief for the final call, in the meantime, Tenten was free to go about her day, and would be notified later on once they made a decision. Sasuke had asked Ino to make some copies for him to give her something to do while they waited for the officers to leave, but since they were gone, he decided it was time that they clean up the office.

He made his way to the copy room and stood in the doorway, watching Ino work diligently at the copies that really weren't important at all. He smiled silently to himself as he watched her straighten the papers in a neat stack and turn around. She gasped when she saw him standing there, as she had not been aware of his presence. He noticed a slight blush creep onto her cheeks, embarrassed that he had startled her.

"Hey." He said casually, putting up his hand.

"Oh, hey Sasuke. I didn't see you there." She started, smiling a little. "I uh, I finished your copies." She said, handing the neat stack of papers to him. She then turned and swiped the original from the machine and placed it on top of the pile.

"Good job, thanks." He replied, smiling as well. "Hey, I need your help with a project. Apparently Temari destroyed Tenten's office."

"Oh my God, really?" Ino shrieked, widening her eyes.

"Yeah, really." Sasuke stated, turning around and heading toward the elevator.

Ino followed him, happy to assist him in the task. _I don't see how someone could do that to Tenten._ Ino thought to herself, wondering how her boss was fairing.

Moments later, the two found themselves at the door of her office on the fourth floor. Sasuke hesitantly opened the door and shook his head in disgust. The place was a wreck. Important documents of Tenten's were strewn about the floor, her expensive computer was trashed and everything on the desk was either scattered on the floor or sloppily placed in random spots on the surface. "No wonder Tenten hospitalized her." He mumbled to himself, stepping into the office.

Ino followed him in, gasping at the sight. "This is horrible." Both walked in sync toward the shattered photo that lay broken on the floor, and both reached for it simultaneously, locking eyes as they bent down. Ino's heart pounded as Sasuke stared into her blue orbs. She felt as though he could see right through her, and they continued to stare.

He couldn't pull his gaze away from her, but he knew he had to. He released the photo, gulped and stood to his feet, breaking the long and awkward moment, but he didn't want it to end. _Stop it, Sasuke._ He scolded himself internally and made his way to the scattered papers. He squatted down and scooped them up, doing his best to organize them.

Ino recovered quickly from their intense stare down, she stood and removed the picture from the shattered frame, placing it on Tenten's desk. She carefully picked up the broken glass and discarded it in the garbage can that sat at the side of the desk. _I just wish he wasn't so attractive. It would make my job so much easier. _She thought to herself, subtly glancing back at him while he gathered the papers. A smile found its way to her face and she couldn't help it. _Am I checking him out!? Oh Ino, stop that. _She shook her head and walked over to the computer to collect it's pieces.

* * *

"For the last time, Tenten, you're not going to jail. I'm sure the footage proves that you were defending yourself." Itachi said, doing his best to comfort his wife. Her face was bruised on both of her cheek bones, and it was evident she was distraught. He sighed and walked to her, sitting next to her on the couch in his office.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. I just snapped. I know I shouldn't have gone after her, but I did." Tenten looked down, tears forming in her eyes.

He put an arm around her and pulled the girl close. "If it were me, Tenten, I would've killed her."

She let out a small giggle, but she knew without a doubt that he wasn't lying. Being in the business that they were in wasn't by any means a clean one, and Itachi already had a lot of blood on his hands. Tenten leaned into his shoulder and sighed, looking up at him. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'm glad you're okay." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Everything's going to be fine."

* * *

"Welcome back, Sasuke. Take a seat." The busty therapist instructed after Sasuke reluctantly entered into her office.

Sasuke removed his suit jacket, draped it over the arm of the couch and took a seat afterward. Letting out a sigh, he looked at the girl. "And how are you today, Hinta?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking, Sasuke. Let's talk about your day, Sasuke. How was that?"

"It was pleasant." He smiled honestly, only thinking about one thing.

"That's good news. And things with Sakura, how are they?" Hinata asked, picking up her notepad and pen.

Sasuke studied the room, sickened by the pastel coloring and happy pictures of couples on the walls. "They're worse, believe it or not. Does that mean I get my money back for yesterday's sessions?"

"Well, Sasuke, The good news is that things often get worse before they get better. What happened?"

"She thinks we need a kid because I don't pay attention to her. I don't wanna pay attention to her, and I certainly don't want a kid." Sasuke answered, tapping his finger nervously on the arm of the couch.

Hinata set her pen down and scooted to the edge of her seat, giving Sasuke her full attention. "Sasuke..." She paused. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking up at her a little confused.

"I mean with Sakura. It's obvious that you have no feelings for her, and although I'm a marriage counselor, there are just some things I cannot fix. I can't _make_ you love her." Hinata continued. "Part of being a marriage counselor is knowing when to say enough is just enough. Some marriages just don't work."

Sasuke sighed and leaned back in the couch, resting his head on the back of it. "I know." He whispered. "But I gotta fix it."

"And why is that, Sasuke?" Hinata questioned, curiously.

"Because my brother won't let me work for him any longer if I get a divorce. I've got to keep up my image with the public, and a messy divorce is the last thing we need right now."

"At some point, your brother will have to underst..."

"You don't know my brother, okay!? So don't sit there and act like you do." He spat, rising to his feet. "I'm fuckin' out of here."

* * *

Sasuke pulled up to his house, eager to get some sleep. That counseling session had completely drained him of his energy. He got out of his car and left his jacket inside, not realizing he had done so. He walked inside, placed his shoes on the mat neatly and hung his keys on the ring perfectly in order to appease his anal wife.

"What do you say whe-"

"I'm home!"

"What's wrong?" Sakura exclaimed as she raised up from her place at the dining room table. She walked up to him, concern gracing her pale face.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sasuke pushed past her and went to his couch, he grabbed the throw pillow and hugged it instinctively. Knowing she would get angry if she saw him try to smother himself once more.

"Well... h-how was counseling?" Sakura was a little alarmed by his behavior. He seemed rather angry, and she got a little scared when he was angry. Sasuke stood from the couch, threw the pillow and looked her dead in the eye with furrowed brows.

"Why are we doing this?"

"D-doing what?"

"Why are we together?"

"H-hey, let's just have some dinner okay? Just calm down." Sakura plead, putting her hands up.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "Fine."

"Oh hey, before dinner, can I borrow your credit card for something? I found these amazing shoes online and I just.."

"Knock yourself out." Sasuke patted himself down, searching for his wallet. "Oh, I left it in the car. The keys are on the ring."

"I'll go grab it." Sakura smiled and swiped his keys from the ring. Before exiting, she bent down and straightened his shoes on the mat. She then went to the car and unlocked the door. She peered in, noticing his jacket on the passenger's side. She walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door. Leaning inside, she turned on the dome light and looked around for the wallet. Not seeing it anywhere, she patted his jacket and smiled when she felt it. She withdrew from the car, and was about to shut the door, but she had forgotten the light. Sakura leaned in once more, but before she turned the light off, she noticed a long, single strand of blonde hair on the passenger seat. She delicately grabbed it between her pointer finger and thumb and studied it. The coloring was far too pale to be Deidara's, and she didn't know any male to have hair at that length. Glaring and dropping the hair, she stormed inside.

"Sasuke!?" She exclaimed loudly, throwing his suit jacket onto the couch.

"What?" He asked, looking over at her.

"Why was there a long, blonde hair in your car!?" She walked around the couch and stood directly in front of him. "I know it wasn't Deidara's!"

"Woah, woah! Calm down Sakura, gees." Sasuke shook his head. "You know we got a new intern at work. Itachi had me and Deidara take her to lunch today, so yeah, she was in my car. And she's got long, blonde hair."

Sakura sighed, a bit relieved. "Oh.. Okay, good." She smiled. "I don't know what I'd do if you ever cheated on me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Once more, my dear readers, I am so thrilled and overwhelmed by the positive response to this story. I cannot thank you all enough. I appreciate each and every one of your reviews. It makes me want to update this so much faster. In fact, I wrote the majority of this story at work! SHAME ON ME! ;) You guys are sooo worth it. **

**As far as my reviewer who had mentioned feeling just a tad bit bad for Sakura, I just wanna say. You won't for long. :3 I know that I've made Sasuke seem rather harsh toward her in the beginning, but keep in mind that they've had a history, and he has his reasons for doing so, some of which you will see in this chapter. She has a very sly personality. I have a plan in motion! Thanks for your sweetness. I really am so glad you're all reading. Lol, sorry for those of you who hate Itaten, I also appreciate that you continue to read despite that. YOU ROCK! trust me, trust me... SasuxIno will be coming soon! Uhm... Aside from praising you all, I really have no more to say... :# Enjoy and thanks again.**

**NARUTO**  
**AU**  
**INTERNAL AFFAIRS**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_**Chapter four**: **Compromised**_

* * *

Sasuke's dark eyes fluttered open and he began to awaken just a few moments before his alarm rang off. He stretched out his legs and put his arms over his head, yawning loudly. It was then that he noticed Sakura was not in bed. He shrugged, figuring she had things to do.

After taking a quick shower, he got dressed in a casual pair of light tan slacks and a black, long sleeved black button up shirt. Dressing down a bit from his usual attire. He was standing in front of a rectangular mirror, assessing himself when he heard a voice from behind. "No tie today?" She asked softly.

Sasuke turned to face her, and gave her a little smile. "No, not today." He replied. She was still in her pink fuzzy pajamas, and she looked rather unrested.

"I like this white one, though." She said as she delicately swiped the tie she had earlier lay out on their dresser and she draped it around the back of his neck. She started to tie it for him, looking him dead in the eye.

"I don't want to wear a tie, Sakura. " He stated as politely as he could.

The pink haired girl glowered at him and she pulled on the long end of the tie, pushing up the knot roughly, cutting off his oxygen temporarily. "I think it looks good, don't you?" She mumbled, watching his face contort.

Sasuke grabbed hold of her hands and pushed them away, he then loosened the tie and pulled it off, only a little surprised by her behavior. Although it wouldn't be the first time she had done such a thing. "What the hell, Sakura?!"

She simply smirked, turned around and exited their bedroom. Sasuke rubbed his neck where the tie had tightly strangled him. _God dammit_. He thought to himself. There was a reason Sasuke kept his distance from the girl. He was purposefully unkind at times so that Sakura wouldn't be come overly attached, but it was too late for that. Sighing, he walked into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat before work.

When he opened the refrigerator, Sasuke took a step back and leaned on the door with his left arm. He blinked a few times, trying to process what he had seen. The night before the fridge was fully stocked, but this morning it was completely empty. What the hell... Sasuke closed the door, checked the freezer and growled when he noticed it too, was empty. He then proceeded to check every cabinet in the house for food, but to no avail. The only things in the cupboards were dishes.

"Oh, were you hungry, Sauke?" Sakura asked venomously. She sauntered into the kitchen and leaned against the fridge with a smug look plastered across her pretty face.

"Where's all of our stuff, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, almost in a panic.

"Now you know what it's like to have something kept from you. You should've told me as soon as you knew that your intern was a girl!" She exclaimed, anger written all over her face.

"That's ridiculous, Sakura! You threw everything out? Do you know how much money you waisted?!" Sasuke asked, slamming the last cabinet door closed. He was angry enough to smack the girl across the face. But he wouldn't dare, he couldn't bring himself to do it, despite the fact that he was seething with rage. "First, you fuckin' try to strangle me, then you go and do this?"

"What happened earlier was just a little warning, that's all." Sakura's anger subsided and she gave him a soft smile. "Have a good day at work, sweetie."

"Yeah thanks." He said sarcastically, he quickly grabbed his things, slipped on his shoes and walked out the door, leaving her alone without even kissing her goodbye. Sasuke, no matter how much he hated being with her, he always kissed her goodbye. But not today, he was far too angry.

* * *

"Well good morning, Yamato." Deidara greeted as the sushi chef walked into his work place. "You here to meet with Itachi?"

"Yes sir, that I am." Replied the brunette man.

"Ino could you please escort this man to Itachi's office? After that can you take this to Sasuke? He's got about six messages." Deidara asked Ino kindly as he handed her a small pink post-it note.

"Absolutely!" Ino chimed, smiling at the blonde behind the desk. She then looked to the man she had seen yesterday and nodded to him. "Right this way, sir." She added before leading him to the elevator. It didn't take long for them to reach the fifth floor, and Ino ushered him into Itachi's office. She spotted the raven haired man at his desk, working on some type of paper work. Ino always felt a little uneasy around the man, but she didn't know why.

"Here we are, Mr. Yamato." Ino smiled. "Mr. Uchiha, you have a guest."

Itachi looked up from his desk and nodded to Ino. "Come in, Yamato. You are dismissed, Ino."

The girl bowed and exited his office, heading one floor down to leave the note with Sasuke. She glanced down at it, shaking her head when she read it. _'Sakura called, Sakura called, Sakura called, Sakura called, Capital One called, Sakura called.' Holy cow..._ Ino thought to herself before the doors opened and she stepped off onto the fourth floor.

She walked to the end of the hall where she knew Sasuke's office to be. She approached the door and raised her hand to knock. Suddenly overwhelmed by butterflies within her stomach, she withdrew her hand. Ino took a deep breath and mustered the courage to knock.

"Come on in." Sasuke proclaimed with little enthusiasm. Ino walked into the office and looked around. She hasn't been on the inside before. She really admired it, it was a lot less extravagant than Itachi's, but it was still nice. Sasuke had a hand over his forehead and he was looking down at some files on his desk.

Ino noticed right away that he wasn't his normal self. "Uhm, you have a few messages." Ino stated, placing the post-it note next to him.

He raised his head. His dark eyes were heavy, and his face seemed a little more pale than usual. "Thank you, Ino." He smiled at her briefly before looking down at his desk once more.

"It may not be any of my business, but are you okay?" She asked, concerned for the man she was growing more and more fond of.

Sasuke looked back up at her, admiring her deep red dress. She had always dressed quite well from when he had seen her. It was one of the things Sasuke liked about her. "Yeah, everything's fine. Don't worry about it." He appreciated her concern, it was rather refreshing. He couldn't remember the last time someone had been genuinely concerned about him.

"I might be overstepping some boundaries, but if you ever wanna talk, I'm here." She offered kindly, although she had to build up the courage to let him know. She was glad that she did.

His eyes softened, and Ino could tell that he was a little surprised. "Thank you." He stated. "I'll have to take you up on the sometime."

"Anytime. Is there anything I can get for you?" She questioned, looking around his desk to see if he already had a coffee.

"Could you take this to Tenten and have her sign it? Then bing it back." He asked as he handed her a document.

"Of course." Ino took the document happily and made her way out of his office, but as soon as she was out of his sight, she frowned. She couldn't stop the worry that she felt for him. She had only known him a few days, but she knew enough to know that something was seriously bugging him.

* * *

Deidara was manning the front desk as usual, and he was just about to order Chinese for he and a few of the other employees, Sasuke, Ino and and Itachi included. Before he could pick up the phone to order, a thin woman wearing a short, tight fitting teal dress waltzed in. Immediately, Deidara recognized it as none other than Sakura Uchiha. She was walking at a fast pace, her heels echoing through the corridor, reminding Deidara a lot of Tenten.

She yanked off her sunglasses and stuffed them into her purse, she then leaned forward on the surface of the desk, exposing what little cleavage she had show,to Deidara. "Is Sasuke-Kun in his office?"

"A-as far as I know, yes." Deidara cleared his throat, directing his eyes elsewhere.

"Thank you!" Quickly Sakura rushed into the elevator. Pressing the button for the fourth floor.

"Hello, miss Sakura. Good to see you." Said a man she recognized from a certain sushi restaurant before he exited the elevator.

"Oh y-you too!" She spat before the door closed. Heaving a sigh, she did her best to suppress the nervousness she felt. Her mind was quickly jolted out of her thoughts when she heard a light 'ding' indicating that she had reached her designated floor. She clutched her purse and stepped out of the machine, not noticing an approaching blonde on her left.

Suddenly, she felt the impact of someone crashing right into he and she let out a shriek. Turning to look, she saw a gorgeous blonde woman on the floor with coffee spilt all along the front of her expensive looking red dress. She was about to apologize until she realized who the girl was. Sakura's expression changed dramatically and she bent down to the girl and looked her in the eye. "Are you the new intern here?"

Ino was shocked, she hadn't seen the woman coming and all of a sudden she found herself on the floor with hot coffee soaking into her clothes. She took notice of the woman's peculiar hair and eye color and the realization set in. "Uhm, yes. I'm sorry I ran into you like that I must not have see-"

"You listen here, sweetie." Sakura said through gritted teeth, grabbing hold of the front of Ino's dress. "You stay the hell way from my husband, do you understand?!"

Ino was taken a back, now she understood what Sasuke meant about the dragon he mentioned yesterday at lunch. "I-I'm sorry that you think of me as a threat, Mrs. Uchiha, but I work for your husband. I can't just avoid him."

"No, you need to think of _me_ as a threat. Keep your slutty little hands-"

"Do we have a problem, Sakura?" Came Tenten's voice as her office door swung open. She had heard the commotion, and decided to check up on it. What she saw before her was nothing less than shocking.

"O-oh no, I was just helping your new intern to her feet. She tripped, the clumsy little thing." Sakura lied, pulling Ino to her feet and smiling innocently at her sister-in-law. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone to see." Sakura turned and began walking to Sasuke's office, but before she reached the end of the hall, she looked over her shoulder back at Ino and shot her a ferocious glare.

Ino was standing there in disbelief as she watched the pink haired dragon walk into the poor unsuspecting man's office.

"Did she do that to you?" Tenten questioned, gesturing to the brown staining all over Ino's dress, and snapping Ino out of he thought.

She debated on whether or not to tell the truth, but she really didn't want to cause any further drama, despite how upset she was. "Uh.. N-no... She was right I just fell."

Tenten folded her arms across her chest and looked sternly at the blonde. "I don't take you for the klutzy blonde girl, Ino. And I certainly don't like it when my employees lie to me." _At least I know the girl isn't a rat_. Tenten walked over to the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's take a lunch and get you some clean clothing. I'll let Itachi know that I'm taking you."

* * *

Sauke looked up from his desk to the sound of his office door creek open. He was expecting Ino to be the one standing at the door with the signed document from Tenten. So he was in rather high spirits until he saw just who it was that was standing before him.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" He questioned, setting his pen down and studying her.

"I came to meet your new intern, and set some things straight. I also thought we could grab some lunch while I'm here." She said sweetly making her way to his desk.

"Set things straight? What kind of things?" Sasuke asked curiously. He knew that he had to play things cool in order to get information from her. Blowing up wasn't the best solution for their current situation.

"Just some things." Another twisted smile spread across her face, and Sasuke was praying to God that Sakura hadn't done anything to harm Ino. He wouldn't put it past her. Not in the least. "So let's go to lunch, okay?"

"Let me check with Itachi." Sasuke mumbled, picking up his office phone and dialing his brother.

_"Sasuke, what the hell is going on down there?_" Itachi boomed.

Sasuke shook his head and smiled. "Good afternoon to you too, Itachi.

"Hi, Itachi!" Sakura chimed, leaning in to the desk.

_"That explains everything..."_ Itachi mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke inquired of his elder brother.

_"I'll discuss this with you later. What is it you want?"_

''She wants to go to lunch." Sasuke replied, hoping that Itachi would decline.

_"I'm sorry. I need you here today. We've got an important meeting in just a few minutes. You two may go afterward"_ with that, Itachi hung up the phone.

Sasuke looked over at Sakura who had hopeful eyes. He let out a sigh and put the phone in it's place. "Sorry, he says I've got a meeting in just a few. We have to eat here today."

"Bummer!" Sakura pouted and sat on top of his desk.

"I'll see you at home, okay? I have things to take care of. "

"Will you be late again tonight?" Sakura asked.

"No, I'm not going to counseling tonight."

* * *

Ino sat in the passenger's seat of Tenten's maroon and white Mustang convertible. It was rather cosy and the summer air made for perfect conditions to cruise. Oddly enough, she felt so at ease with the other female, the opposite of what she felt around Itachi.

"Where we headed?" Ino asked, looking at the brunette to her left. Tenten's curly hair blew wildly in the wind, and Ino imagined her pony tail was doing the same.

"We'll go to my place and get you changed, then we can grab some food. Sound good?" Tenten replied , only glancing at Ino temporarily as to keep her eyes fixated on the road as they drove along.

"Thank you very much." Ino said, smiling. She watched the buildings whiz by as they drove, relaxing a bit._ I wonder why Sasuke's wife is so possessive?_ She wondered to herself, worried about what the girl may be doing to Sasuke as she thought. "Any news on the security footage?" Ino asked. Suddenly remembering the incident between Tenten and Temari.

"Not yet, although I have a bad feeling about the whole situation." Tenten admitted.

"Well what makes you say that?"

"I don't know, just a feeling I suppose." A few moments of silence passed as the two girls continued the duration of the ride. "Oh here we are." Tenten finally said as she smiled a wide grin and parked her car in a driveway that was conveniently placed in front of a monstrous home.

"Holy cow!" Ino whispered in awe. She stepped out of the car and shook her head. "It's amazing."

Tenten smiled softly. "Thanks. Come on in."

Tenten lead the girl into her lavish home, Ino followed her, completely awestruck as she looked around. The ceilings were tall and vaulted, the living room was large and open, with cream colored leather couches and a beautiful glass coffee table. Light, old time music played in the background, and Ino knew instantly that it was Frank Sinatra, and the faint sound of a vacuum cleaner could be heard from an area coming from upstairs. Tenten lead the girl up a large and rather elegant wooden staircase that spiraled upward into the second level of the home. They made their way down a hallway, passing several rooms as they walked. A few photos of the couple lined the walls, none of which Itachi smiled in. Ino just assumed it was his personality. Some he seemed chipper, and a few he was seen kissing her on the cheek. She could tell that they loved each other though, it didn't seem evident with Sasuke and his wife.

Before Ino knew it, she was in a large bedroom that had a rather dark color scheme. The bed was huge and covered in a fluffy black down comforter, with satin red pillows. Their curtains were the same, deep red color and a sheer black canopy covered the bed. Tenten made her way to a door at the end of the room and opened it up, revealing an elaborate walk-in closet. "Come over here." Tenten ordered of the blonde who was caught up in studying their room.

Ino smiled and obliged, her jaw dropping when she walked in. The woman had tons of shoes, dresses, skirts, pant suits, and evening gowns. She needn't go shopping another day in her life and she'd still never wear the same outfit twice. "Wow! What a wardrobe!"

"Believe it or not, Itachi picked out half of it for me." Tenten admitted, running her fingers along some of the garments.

"Really? Itachi doesn't strike me as the kind to enjoy shopping." Ino replied.

"He's a lot different than he lets on." Tenten whispered as she grabbed hold of a particular hanger and pulled it down. It was a rather tasteful gray dress that looked as though it hung slightly off one shoulder. It had a thick, black belt that went around the waist and a few ruffles down the front. "This looks like it would suit you." Tenten smiled.

"That's so cute!" Ino couldn't help but get excited over the matter, after all it was a dress and she loved shopping.

"Go try it on, if it fits, it's yours."

"Really?!" Ino's eyes widened.

"Of course. There's a bathroom right across the hall from here."

Ino eagerly rushed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The bathroom itself was the size of her living room. She couldn't believe the magnitude. Shaking her head, Ino stripped out of her dirtied dress and pulled the gray one over her head and put her arms through, she then pulled it the rest of the way down and assessed herself in the mirror. It was as if the garment was tailored just for her, it was a perfect fit and she couldn't help but smile. _Tenten really is kind, I don't care what everyone else says about her. _She smiled to herself, gathering her other dress on the floor.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the office_

"What's the word on the Suna?" Sasuke asked Zabuza as he looked in the tall man's direction.

"Well like I said yesterday, I thought we struck a deal, right? Their president called me and asked for a shipment today. Apparently he's on his way to pick it up." Zabuza replied, leaning back in his chair and rocking a bit. Itachi sat behind his desk, silently, assessing the situation.

"Then we have a problem." Stated Sasuke, looking at his older brother. "We just got an order from Yamato for a whole shit load of guns."

"It's already taken care of." Zabuza informed. "I've already talked to the guys in Otagakure, and they're on their way with a double shipment. Things turned out in our favor, we don't have to transport at all. Just so long as the guys from Otagakure can get their asses down here in time. "

"Why don't you give them a call and see how close they are." Itachi finally stated.

"I'm on it." Zabuza chimed before taking his leave.

Sasuke stood up, about to leave and exit the office when he heard Itachi speak again.

"Sit back down, Sasuke."

Sasuke could tell by the tone in his brother's voice that something wasn't right. He turned around and sat back down, curious as to what Itachi. needed to say.

"Tenten called me earlier and she informed me that Sakura was here." Itachi started.

"Yeah, she was here." He said, slightly annoyed.

"Tenten seems to think that Sakura was threatening Ino. She saw Ino on the ground and Sakura was holding onto her and glaring at her. What's up with that? Is there something going on between you and Ino?"

Sasuke sat up in his seat, completely taken aback by his brother's statement. "Wh-What?! No! Not at all!" He shouted. But for some reason, even though there really _wasn't_ anything going on between he and the blonde girl, the question made his heart pound, and he felt strangely nervous.

Itachi leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Okay." He replied. It was easy to tell when Sasuke was lying, at least to Itachi. He could tell when most anyone was lying.

"I can't do it anymore, Itachi." Sasuke finally stated after a few moments of silence went by. He picked up a paper clip from his brother's desk and fumbled with it in his hands.

"What are you talking about, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, scooting forward in his chair and examining his younger brother.

"I can't be with Sakura anymore."

"God dammit, Sasuke!"

"Just hear me out!" Sasuke exclaimed, using his arms for emphasis. Itachi clasped his hands together and nodded to Sasuke. "She tried to strangle me today." He mumbled, looking down.

"She... You're saying Sakura tried to kill you?"

"Yeah, she tried to tie my tie and she tightened it so much that I couldn't breath. She was smiling the whole damn time!" Sasuke instinctually touched his neck as he said this. "Oh and then, she threw away everything to eat in our entire house because she was mad at me for not telling her that our new intern was a girl!"

Itachi wouldn't lie, he felt genuinely bad for his younger brother. But there was nothing he could do to offer any type of help, at least not yet. "I didn't know that she was causing you such trouble."

"She's always been like this, I've tried to hang on for your sake, but I just can't!"

"Listen, Sasuke." Itachi started, this time talking to him brother to brother. "Hang in there for just a few more months. Hopefully by then we can work something out. I just need you to trust me."

"Yeah, if I survive that long." Sasuke mumbled, rising from his seat.

"Why don't you take a few days off."

"What? No I'm not taking any time off!"

"Sasuke, you need it. You're taking two days off. Get things sorted out. And take today off early." Itachi ordered.

"What? That's ridiculous, Itachi, you've got a shipment today, plus a meeting with an important client. I'm not missing that."

"I'll handle it. Just go home."

"God dammit, Itachi." Sasuke swore before exiting his brother's office.

He grumbled the entire way out of the building, completely annoyed that he had been sent home early. He sighed, walking to his car briskly. As he did, he noticed Tenten's car pull up beside his, and she and Ino hopped out.

"Hey Sasuke." She chimed, waving at him.

Sasuke waved back, smiling a little. He noticed her change of outfit, and was curious just what on earth Sakura had done to her. "Have a good day, ladies." He greeted before getting into his own car.

Ino watched him drive away, a little disappointed she didn't get to see him longer.

* * *

Sasuke drove around town for a bit, trying to decide whether or not to go visit his counselor or not. He felt the strong inclinationto apologize to her for his rude behavior the day before. He sighed, and turned on his turning signal, and pulled into the building. After he parked, he hesitated for a moment, tapping his fingers on the wheel. _Ahh...okay._ He thought to himself. He got out of the car, locked it and walked into the familiar building.

"Oh, Mr. Uchiha. You're not scheduled for today." Said the receptionist as she looked up at him.

It was at this time that the long haired therapist exited her office and smiled at Sasuke. "It's okay, Hauka, I'll see him." She spoke softly.

"Thank you, Hinata." Sasuke said, looking in her direction.

Hinata lead him into the familiar room and closed the door behind them. "Take a seat." She said, taking her own seat across from the couch. She watched Sasuke sit down before speaking once more. "So what's going on, Sasuke?"

"I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was an asshole, and I'm sorry."

"Ah, trust me. I've dealt with much worse. Don't worry about it. How are things with Sakura going? Any improvements?" Hinata asked.

"Not exactly. In fact, she tried to kill me today." Sasuke leaned back into the couch, sighing.

"Are you saying that your wife assaulted you today?" Hinata tore her glasses off of her face and placed them on a small table to her right, she then scooted up in her seat and looked upon the man with great concern.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying."

"Sasuke, you can't stay in that environment." Hinata shook her head.

"I'm aware of that. But my brother doesn't seem to understand the severity of the situation. He wants me to stick it out for a couple of months."

Hinata sighed and contemplated things for a moment before speaking. "What I'm about to say to you isn't coming from a therapist. Its coming from a concerned friend. If you plan to listen to Itachi and wait a few months, then you're going to need to take certain precautions. Now, Sakura is very attached to you, meaning it doesn't matter when you break the news to her, she's never going to accept it."

"Yeah, you're right about that." Sasuke replied, sitting up and looking up at her.

"So, you'll have to subtly introduce another person of influence to her."

"You want me to get her to cheat on me?"

"No, not necessarily. You just need to plant someone else in her life that can easily take your place once you break the news to her."

* * *

Ino was unsure why she was released from work early, but things seemed relatively shady. She didn't question it though, she simply went home and started a load of laundry. She then decided to take a stroll with her large chocolate lab, Bear, around town.

She had been walking for approximately ten minutes, and it was rather relaxing. She and Bear had met a few other dogs, and friendly faces, although he growled at anyone who passed them by._ Well, I guess this is nice_. Ino thought to herself, stopping to pet her puppy. "You're a good boy, huh Bear?" She smiled, scratching his ears. The dog leaned into her touch, happy she was paying attention to him. "You need to be nicer to people though." Ino looked around, noticing she had stopped in front of a liquor store. She was about to get up and continue her walk when she saw a familiar black Lamborghini pull up and park in front of the store.

Sasuke had headed straight to his favorite liquor store after his session with Hinata. He sat in his parked car, debating whether or not he should pick up the goods. It had been an awful long time since he had last taken a drink of anything significant, and he knew he really shouldn't. He was about to start his car back up, but then he saw her. _Ino..._ He thought to himself. He opened his car door and got out, smiling a little. "Hey." He said.

"Hey, Sasuke! Woah!" Ino could hardly control her pup as he lunged toward Sasuke and began to whine. Bear raised his paw and scratched at Sasuke's leg.

"Oh, who's this?" Sasuke knelt down and began to pet the dog, scratching behind his ears.

Ino looked down at the two, perplexed. She took a hand and scratched the back of her head. "Well, this is my dog Bear. He doesn't usually like anyone." Ino smiled, confounded.

"Well, I don't usually like anyone either, maybe that's why we like each other." Sasuke teased, standing to his feet.

Ino giggled and looked at Sasuke sternly. "That's not true." She giggled a little.

Sasuke's smile faded as he looked at the blonde. He didn't know the whole story, but he knew Sakura must've threatened her. "Hey, listen, about my wife-"

"Don't even worry about it." Ino waved her hands, not wanting to discuss the matter with him.

But Sasuke wanted to talk to Ino about it. He was ready to explain the entire situation to the girl, from beginning to end. "Alright." He replied. "Hey, listen. I won't be in the office tomorrow, but how about we go to lunch?"

Ino blushed, a little unsure where things were going. "Uhm, you, me and Deidara?"

_Damn..._ "Yeah, the three of us." Sasuke lied. He had no intention of inviting Deidara.

"Okay, sounds good!" Ino chimed, smiling and closing her eyes.

* * *

_Meanwhile, back in the office_

Deidara sat behind his desk, anxiously anticipating the arrival of a prominent client from the Suna. They had already received their 'shipment of office supplies' from Otagakure, and now the only thing left to do was wait. He tapped his fingers, doodled on some papers, did anything he could to keep himself entertained. Itachi and Zabuza prepared for their guest. "Uggghhh!' Deidara slammed his head on the desk, bored out of his mind.

"What's wrong?" Came a voice from behind.

Deidara's head popped right back up and he plastered a smile onto his face. "Heyyyy, Tenten!"

Tenten giggled and shook her head. "Slacking on the job, not good Deidara!" She teased.

"I know, I'm just bored." He answered honestly.

Tenten noticed a man with light brown hair walking toward the front door. "It doesn't look like you'll be bored much longer."

The man walked in, and Tenten noticed the man's strange tattoo's on his neck and a few on his face, he was dressed rather nicely, but still, he seemed suspicious. "You must be Kankuro." Deidara stated politely.

"Yes, that's me." Kankuro eyed Tenten carefully.

"Welcome to Uchiha Enterprises, I'll escort him to Itachi's office." Tenten nodded to Deidara, Deidara nodded back and made his way to the front door to lock it, and close down the business for the day.

Tenten stepped into the elevator with the strange man and pressed the button for the fifth floor. She felt a strong sense of uneasiness overtake her. The doors closed, and the two of them stood alone for one short, moment of silence. Suddenly, the man grabed hold of her hair and pressed her face against the cool wall of the elevator with violent force.

"What you did to my sister was unforgivable!" He growled, yanking her away from the wall. He then put a hand around her throat and squeezed hard. "You shouldn't have messed with us, Tenten." He glared his dark brown eyes and pulled a gun on the girl. It was at that time that the elevator doors swung open and he got behind Tenten, holding the gun to her temple and leading her into Itachi's office.

Itachi looked at Tenten, he could see the fear in her eyes. He stood, immediately on the defense. He subtly reached for his handgun that was strapped to the under belly of his desk.

"Don't you even dare!" Kankuro spat, pushing Tenten further into the office.

"You get your hands off of my wife this minute!" Itachi boomed.

"I'm here for retaliation for my sister." The man said venomously. He shoved the brunette girl to the ground and kept the gun pointed in her direction. Tenten looked up at Itachi, pleading with her eyes.

"There is no retaliation needed. What's done is done. I suggest you get yourself out of here while you can." Itachi warned.

"We're willing to let the incident with your wife slide if you give us this shipment of weapons for free. After that we'll continue to deal with you." Kankura stated, still holding the gun toward Tenten.

Itachi was doing his very best to manage his anger toward the man, but it wasn't going to last. He walked out from behind the desk, causing Kankuro to cock the gun in his hand.

"Don't move." He stated. "I-I'll kill her!"

It was evident to Itachi that the man didn't have the gual to pull the trigger, still he didn't want to risk the life of the only person he loved. "Drop the gun." Itachi said calmly, before he swiftly reached behind his back, retrieving a firearm from a secure area at the small of his back. "You best call your boss, because you're either paying for the weapons, or you're not walking out of here at all."


	5. Chapter 5

**Keep em' commin', readers! You are absolutely the BEST! I can't believe your kind responses! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :D You're the best!  
I know you've been waiting a long time for the SasuxIno action, and I'm happy to announce that... There's a little in this chapter. Enjoy! (Sorry it's not quite as long as the last few... I LOVE YOU THOUGH!)**

**NARUTO**  
**AU**  
**INTERNAL AFFAIRS**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_**Chapter five: The Truth and diagnosis **_

* * *

Tenten let out a small sigh of relief as soon as Itachi drew his glock. She admittedly was quite terrified for the time that Kankura had her at gunpoint, but the situation looked like it was turning out in their favor.

"Put your gun down, and let's discuss some things, shall we?" Itachi said bodly, not moving his gun an inch. Kankuro slowly set his gun down on the floor and raised his hands. He reluctantly made his way to the seat Itachi had gestured to and sat, still holding his hands up. "Good." Itachi smirked, he then put the gun to Kankuro's forehead and growled. "I don't know who you think you are, but don't you ever assume that you can lay a finger on my wife and not pay the penalty for it!" His expression was beyond recognition, his eyes red and bloodthirsty.

"I-I!" Kankuro gasped, terrified. "Forgive me, sir! I did this outside of my brother's orders."

"So you thought you would disobey your master and commander, hm?" Suddenly, Itachi began coughing violently, gasping for air. His poor victim had no idea what to do, so he simply sat there, watching in horror. Itachi's anger settled and he withdrew his weapon. _Shit..._ He thought to himself.

Tenten stood to her feet, watching him with worry. She had taken the weapon from the assailant and she watched carefully. _What's going on with him?_ She wondered frantically.

"Go downstairs, have Deidara take you home." Itachi barked at her, she could see a small droplet of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. Tenten stepped back, looking at him in shock.

"N-no I'm not leaving!"

"I'll handle things here! Go!" With this he grimaced a little, rubbing his chest subtly.

Tenten jumped a bit, but obliged to his request, and rushed down the stairs frantically, passing Zabuza on her way. _Itachi... be careful.._

Deidara looked up from his desk, a nervous look gracing his face as he directed his eyes toward the staircase. He saw Tenten rushing down, holding onto the guard rail. Her face was pale and she looked petrified. He stood from his desk. "Tenten?"_  
_

Tenten said nothing, she simply rushed down the stairs and came to a screeching halt at his desk, and she lay her head on its surface, breathing heavily. Gently, Deidara placed a hand on her head and stroked it softly.

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

"What's wrong with Itachi?" She looked up at him and locked eyes with him. "Has he said anything to you!?"

Deidara looked away for a moment, nervous to answer the question. "No," he said finally. "I haven't heard anything. Is everything okay up there?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

Tenten shook her head reluctantly. "I don't know, I don't know."

Deidara heaved a heavy sigh. "Lets get you home."

* * *

Sasuke had planned to meet Ino the following day at 1:00 pm at a low profile French restaurant on the edge of town. He found himself smiling as he drove home after his coincidental meeting with the blonde, he simply couldn't help it.

He recalled the day he met her, he noted then that everything about the girl was intriguing. He hadn't met someone so intelligent and lovely before. If he was honest with himself, which often times he wasn't, he would admit the she was the only thing that occupied his mind at a steady constant. He longed to know more about her, where she grew up, what her family was like. Everything there is to know about a person, he wanted to know about her.

He had only hoped that what Itachi mentioned to him earlier was reliable, because Sasuke knew if he had to spend much more time with the pink-headed monster, he would crack. If he hadn't already. But if there was one thing he could do, it was putting up a front. If he needed to appease Sakura for a bit, he would.

He pulled up into his driveway and parked, getting out of the car with mixed emotions. He didn't know if he should be apprehensive, If he should be distant, quiet. He knew of one thing for certain that was sure to keep Sakura in high spirits, though, and that was money.

He walked inside his house, put his shoes neatly on he mat and hung his keys up. "I'm home, Sakura."

Sakura emerged from the hallway, she was still wearing the teal dress from earlier in the day, but her hair was tied up in a bun. "Oh, I thought you were coming home earlier today?"

"I decided to go to counseling." He replied, scratching his head.

"Oh good! Although you should've called to let me know. I hate it when you don't tell me things." A frown made it's way to her face and she crossed her arms.

"I have tomorrow off, so I thought we could go shopping." He stated reluctantly, utilizing his sure fire resort.

Her eyes lit up like a night star burning out. "Really?! Oh but I've got a hair appointment, and I'm also getting my nails done and my eyelash extensions."

Sasuke smirked, he already knew this. He, although it didn't seem like it, did pay attention at times. "That's okay, we can go after. What time will you be finished?"

"Probably around three or so." She smiled, happy to see the sudden change in interest that Sasuke had been displaying.

"I'll pick you up from there, and we can go shopping then." Sasuke did his best to smile, on the inside he was less than thrilled he would be taking the girl shopping. He continually told himself that it would all be worth it in the end.

* * *

The next day, Ino arrived at work promptly at 8:00 A.M, Like usual. She strode inside, noticing that there was a man she hadn't seen before standing in front of the desk and speaking to Deidara. He was wearing a light gray suit with a white dress shirt underneath, with a dark green tie to accent. He had medium brown hair, pulled back into a pony tail that spiked a bit in the back. He was around the same hight as Sasuke, although he was a good deal thinner than him. She tilted her head to the side, trying to decide if he was a client or something more. She made her way slowly to the desk, continuing to study him, when she saw Itachi walk passed her, wearing a black suit and tie.

"I just came by to drop my resume off," The man said, sliding a folder across the surface of the front desk. Itachi swiftly walked up to the man, and swiped the folder from Deidara.

"I'll take that." He stated, opening the folder and looking it over carefully. "Mr. Nara, hm? Why don't you come up to my office, and we'll look this over." He said, closing the folder and tucking it beneath his arm.

"Thank you, sir." The brunette man said to Itachi, followed by a respectful bow.

"Deidara, Tenten will be in shortly, in the meantime, keep miss Ino busy. After that, I'm sure Tenten will have some things for her to do." Itachi instructed.

"Sure thing, boss." Deidara replied.

Ino watched the exchange and smiled a little. The brunette man turned to Deidara and thanked him, he then looked at Ino and gave her a smile. His eyes wandered subtly up and down her body before he and Itachi exited.

She shuttered a little before shrugging it off and putting her purse behind the desk. "So, is Itachi trying to hire someone to replace Temari?"

"I guess that's what it looks like." Deidara answered. He glanced down at his agenda, smiling at its blankness. "Wanna go grab some coffee?"

"Sure, why not." Ino shot him a knowing look before the two made their way to the break room just down the hall and passed the elevator. She smiled to herself remembering when Sasuke had showed her the break room a few floors up, recalling his kindness.

The two of them walked into the room and Deidara promptly started to make his sugary drink. Ino stood there, staring at the different coffee makers and fumbling with a coffee mug in her hands. She just couldn't for the life of her, get Sasuke out of her mind. It was then that she remembered their lunch arrangement. "So you coming to lunch at one today?" She asked, finally deciding to make herself a cup.

Deidara looked back at her with an inquisitive look as he poured the hot brown liquid into his cup. "Lunch? Nah, I don't go to lunch on thursdays." He smiled at her before looking away and stirring the ingredients in his coffee.

"You're not?" She blushed subtly at the thought, Sasuke had to have known that the blonde man wouldn't be joining them. _A...A... A date?_ She thought to herself.

"Are _you _going to lunch at one, Ino?" He smirked, he was subtly catching on.

"I-... Not really..." She looked down at her empty cup. After being around Deidara for a week or so, she felt comfortable with him, like she could trust him. "Hey Deidara?"

"Yeah?" He asked after taking a sip from his steaming mug. He could tell that Ino was rather nervous about something. So he softened his expression and set his cup on the counter.

"Have you ever, even though you know you shouldn't, had feelings for someone who was..."

"Married?" He asked, narrowing his eyes and softly smiling. _So it is true... _

"Y-Yeah." Ino looked down, embarrassed she had even asked.

But Deidara didn't see it as a reason to be embarrassed at all, he had gone through his own issues in the past, and he dealt with them everyday at the office. "Well... Let's just say that there's no way I ever could without my best friend killing me. How about you?" He asked, softly raising her chin.

Ino blushed a little, thankful for his kind gesture. "You didn't really answer the question, though."

He let out a sigh and rolled his dark blue eyes. "Gees, you just won't quit, will you? If you have to know the real answer, and you better not say a thing, ever... The truth is, yes."

"You do?!"

"Yes. I do, but that doesn't mean that I'm not open to new opportunities!" He said, giving her a wink and flashing her a smile.

Ino blushed and looked away. "Oh, knock it off!" She giggled a little.

"Ino," He said, seriously. "Do you have feelings for a certain raven haired boy?" He asked quietly.

Her cheeks turned even more red than before and she looked up at Deidara. "I-I..."

"Shame on you!" He stated, before letting out a hearty laugh. "No, no, I'm sorry for laughing." He said after noting Ino's dejected expression. "In all honesty, Ino. I don't think you're the only one that feels that way."

"Yeah but-"

"Hey, it'll all work itself out." He assured, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"What about you?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm not too worried about that, they're happy. That's all I can ask for."

"You really are a sweet person, aren't you?" Ino said, smiling softly.

"No, and whoever told you that is a damn liar." Deidara chuckled once more before his eyes widened. "Shh..." He said, pointing out the sound of someone approaching.

"I personally like the hazelnut creamer myself." Ino covered, winking to Deidara to play along.

"Yeah, I guess it's good. I like the Irish cream better though, it's sweeter." He winked back.

Just after he spoke, Tenten walked into the doorway and smiled at the two. "Hey you two. Slacking on the job, I see." She poked, obviously teasing.

"How do you take your coffee, Miss Tenten?" Ino asked, politely.

"Black." Replied the woman. "What do you know about book keeping, Ino?"

* * *

"Thank you, Mr. Uchiha."

"We'll see you tomorrow morning, Mr. Nara." Itachi stated before seeing off the man he had just hired. He then plopped down onto the chair behind his desk and fumbled with a small sticky note that Deidara had given him. _Dr. Tsunade_, was scribbled on it sloppily. He rubbed his temples before sighing and picking up his phone to dial the number on the note.

"Am I interrupting something?" Came the familiar voice he knew as Zabuza's.

Itachi promptly put the phone down and looked up at the doorway. "No, come in."

"Well, the money we got from those jerks from the Suna has been processed. It's in the books now. Looks like they're good for it." He said, sitting in one of the chairs before Itachi's desk.

"That's good to hear. It's good we were finally able to strike a deal with them and get that product out. Did you get Yamato his goods?" Itachi questioned, still fiddling with the note in his right hand.

"Yeah, he's all squared away too." Zabuza replied. "Not to change the subject, Itachi." He started after a long pause. "But... Tenten seemed awful worried about you last night, what's going on with you?"

Itachi sighed heavily and hung his head low. "It's nothing."

"Well, with how you were acting last night, I'd beg to differ."

Itachi looked back up and shook his head. "It isn't anything to be concerned about, Zabuza. Trust me."

* * *

"So the key to managing the business' books, is knowing its' budget, inside and out. This is a copy of our budget." Tenten informed Ino who was sitting eagerly at her desk. She slid a phony print over to Ino. "When you know your expenses, it's easy to track where the money is going, and where it's coming from."

"That makes sense." Ino replied, looking over the numbers Tenten had given her. She shook her head, astonished. "Y-you really bring this much in, annually?"

_Technically the income isn't a lie..._ Tenten thought to herself. "Yes, believe it or not. Although that's the gross income, not the actual. It's not including the taxes." _I've just got to see if she can get the hang of things first._

"That's amazing!" Ino exclaimed, still awestruck.

"Well, that's what hard work accomplishes, I suppose." Tenten replied. She glanced up at her clock on the wall, noting that it was only five till one. "Oh, Ino. You told me you were taking lunch at one o' clock, right? You better go." She urged.

Ino looked up at the clock, examining the time. "Oh! You're right. Sorry." She said.

"No, don't worry about it. You've been working hard. Why don't you go till two thirty. I'll see you back here then." She said, kindly.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, laying her papers down and exiting Tenten's office. As soon as she stepped out of those doors, her heart began to pound furiously inside of her chest. _Why am I so nervous? It's not a date, It's just Sasuke. That's the problem. It's Sasuke. _She thought to herself, Swiping her purse from behind the front desk. Deidara smirked at her, silently teasing her with his expression.

Ino smiled subtly at him before rushing out of the building and walking to her humble vehicle. She sighed once she got inside, still unable to manage her nerves very well. Her hands were sweaty, and she tried to gather herself by taking deep breaths.

Soon she made her way to the restaurant that Sasuke had described to her, wondering just what the meeting would entail. She couldn't help but wonder why on earth Sasuke failed to mention that Deidara wouldn't be joining them. Wasn't it unethical to go to lunch with a married man? She shook her head, focusing on her driving and trying to clear her mind. She cranked up her radio, hoping it would drown out the millions of frantic thoughts that flooded her head. Nothing seemed to help and she was growing closer and closer to her designated meeting area.

She saw his distinct car pull up into the restaurant parking lot at the same time as she, and just when she thought her nervousness couldn't get any worse, it did. It got much, much worse. Her hands gripped the wheel tightly and she gulped down all of her fear. She turned the car off, reached into the passengers seat and grabbed her purse. Taking one last deep breath, she forced herself out of the car, startled to see Sasuke standing right there.

"Hey Ino." He smiled. Ino couldn't help but notice how good he looked, even on his day off. His dark hair lay perfectly in place, framing his face in edgy pieces. He was wearing black slacks and a simple white button up that was tighter than he usually wore, revealing his defined upper arm and chest muscles. Holding back a blush was nearly impossible for the blonde.

"H-Hey, Sasuke." She straightened her black undertank, stretching it down a bit. She also fixed her sheer leopard print top. She wasn't sure if her eyes were deceiving her or not, but she almost thought she saw Sasuke blush as well.

"Shall we go inside?" He asked?

* * *

_Meanwhile, back with Itachi_

After Zabuza had exited his office, completely aware that Itachi was lying to his face, Itachi once more picked up the phone to listen to the news he'd already heard once before.

"Konoha "Yes, I'm looking for Dr. Tsunade..."

_"One moment please, I'll transfer you." _Came a woman's voice from the other end. Itachi tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently, waiting for a response. About five minutes passed of annoying hold music, and he was just about to hang up the phone when he heard her voice.

_"Mr. Uchiha, sorry to keep you waiting."_ She said.

"Dr. Tsunade. Do you have anything for me?" He asked, looking around the room to be sure he was alone.

The woman on the line heaved a heavy sigh. _"I'm afraid it's nothing you haven't heard before. It is, without a doubt, heart failure. I checked into a waiting list for you, but it appears you're already on one." _

"Do you know how long it could take to find a donor?" Itachi questioned while rubbing his temples. _This fuckin' pesky heart of mine._

_"That just depends on when we have a healthy donor. But Itachi, from the looks of things you're running out of time. You're gonna need to take it easy for a while."_

"I know, I know. Give me a call with any updates."

_"I do have one bit of good news for you." She said. "It seems that your ecinomical stature is rather important, and that you've been moved up almost to the head of the list. Seems if you die, a lot of people in Konoha will loose their jobs. So you're a priority right now. Typically we get a few good donors every month or so. I will keep you informed." _She replied.

"Thank you, doctor." He stated.

* * *

_Back at the restaurant_

Sasuke and Ino were quickly seated at the rear of the restaurant, but regardless the place was lovely with such a soft and easy going atmosphere. Small, icicle lights were strewn about the room with taste, creating beautiful, yet sentimental lighting, and the whole place smelled of fresh baked bread.

Once they had been seated, Ino's overwhelming sense of nervousness began to slowly diminish, Sasuke was just good at making her feel at ease. They picked up their menus and began to look them over, and Ino was suddenly hungry.

"What do you usually get from here?" She questioned, putting her menu to the side.

"I don't know, I've never been here before. Do you have any idea what the menu even says?" He asked, confused as to what he was even reading.

Ino couldn't help but giggle at his perplexed expression. "I think yours is upside down."

"That explains everything then." He teased, putting a smile on his face. He couldn't explain why, but sitting there with Ino just felt right to him. He couldn't push that feeling aside. Sasuke shortly decided upon what he would order, and Ino did the same, and soon they were alone.

"So..." She started as she played with the straw in her glass of water. "How come you brought me here?"

"I know I should've told you that Deidara wasn't going to be joining us, but I didn't think you would've come if I did." He admitted.

"Well, I guess you're right about that. You certainly tricked me. You must have a good reason for doing so, Sasuke." She said, releasing her straw and leaning back in her chair a little.

"I do, I promise." Sasuke sighed and looked her in the eye. Ino could tell by the severity of his expression that he was rather serious and possible a little troubled.

_Is it about his wife, I wonder?_ She thought as she gestured for him to continue.

"I wanted to tell you the whole truth about my situation. I feel like you deserve to know, especially if you'll be working with me for a while."

"O-Okay." Ino replied, a little aprehensive.

"When I was twenty-two, I was working as a front desk op for Itachi, much like what Deidara is doing now. But I got into a lot of trouble, and then I got arrested." He admitted.

Ino looked at him, quite surprised. She certainly wouldn't have ever pegged him for being the kind to get arrested.

"I was causing a lot of bad publicity for my brother and his business, and he hated it. So he left me in jail." Sasuke continued. "He wanted me to learn my lesson, but of course I did not. The same week I was released, I was back in. But this time, a girl that frequently came to my parties was nice enough to bail me out before my hearing. And then after that I was lucky enough to get out of jail time. It was then that my brother, Itachi, offered me a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Ino asked curiously._ I still don't know why he's telling me all of this..._

"He offered me fifty percent of the company that he built on his own. I could only claim that fifty percent if I settle down, get married and get my life in order. At that point, all I was thinking about was the money. He made a lot of money, and I wanted that too. So i was hasty, I grabbed that girl that bailed me out, and I asked her on the spot if she would marry me, and she said yes. I didn't take into consideration the fact that she was already stalking me and threatening other girls I spent my time with. I just wanted to get my hands on my money, and that was the biggest mistake of my life."_  
_

"Oh my God, Sasuke.."

"I know, I was foolish back then. Tenten and Itachi planned, and paid for the wedding and Sakura and I were married right after I turned twenty-three. But it's been horrible since the beginning. She's manipulative, and hateful. And even though she doesn't look like it, she's actually really dangerous."

_No, I know she's dangerous..._ Ino thought to herself, sitting up in her seat a little. "Why don't you get out of it, Sasuke? I'm sure Itachi understands."

"Itachi doesn't get it, I don't think he really believes me when I tell him some of the things she's done. He's got us both in counseling right now, but nothing is helping." Sasuke sighed heavily, but his eyes widened when he felt her hand slide across the table and rest on top of his.

"Somehow, Sasuke, I'm sure it'll all work out." She softly smiled at him, assuring him.

"Thank you, Ino."

The two continued on with their meeting, eating fresh baked bread and delicious French cuisine before Sasuke paid and kindly escorted her back to her car. Ino stopped before reaching her vehicle and looked at him softly. "Thank you for that, Sasuke."

"Thank you for listening, Ino." He said, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down.

Ino wasn't sure what he was doing, or why all of a sudden he looked a little dejected. "Hey, have a good day, okay?" She urged, nudging him a little.

Sasuke looked up at her, but he didn't smile. His face never changed. He nodded to her, and Ino turned to open her car door, but she stopped when she felt his hand wrap firmly around her wrist. She felt her body jolt backward and turn back to face him. Her heart was racing hard and fast inside her chest, she and Sasuke now stood face to face. He held his hand at the small of her back, the other rested softly on the left side of her face. And suddenly, the raven haired man, leaned in and kissed her.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am completely and utterly overwhelmed over here! You all have been nothing short of amazing. I can't thank you enough for your kind and encouraging responses to this story and I can't get enough of you all. I just want to thank each and every one of you for sharing your kind words to me. You've really left a . huge impact on me and on my heart, including my guest reviewers as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**AS far as what will happen with Itachi... I cannot make any promises. I know some of you are very concerned, but this is, after all, my story and I can choose to do as I like, although I respect you and your opinions! You'll simply have to read and find out.**

**And I have one more little bit of great news for you... SASUINO ;) Read on, my loves.**

**NARUTO**  
**AU**  
**INTERNAL AFFAIRS**

_**Chapter six: Feelings Unfiltered**_

* * *

Ino was unable to comprehend the events from the day before. Her mind was whirling with confusion and unrest after the kiss she and Sasuke shared in the parking lot of the French restaurant. Nothing else had been said between them that day, and she desperately needed clarity.

Why had he kissed her? What were his motives? But his lips were so soft, and his hold on her so firm. She felt like wrenching her heart from her chest, but seemingly enough, Sasuke was already beating her to it.

She showed up at the office the day after the event with mixed feelings. In one way, she was glad Sasuke wasn't there so that there was no awkward confrontation, in another sense, she was saddened that she wouldn't be seeing him. She held onto her purse and closed her car door, walking inside reluctantly, still unable to shake the thoughts that continually troubled her.

"Hey blondie!" Chimed Deidara from his usual post. He studied Ino and noted that she wasn't her usual, chipper self. She seemed rather distracted and to herself.

"Hey." She managed to say with a small wave. Normally chatty, the last thing she really wanted to do was be social, but her job required it, so she would suck it up.

"What's up with you today? Are you not feeling well?" He asked, concerned.

Ino looked up at him with confusion dancing in her cerulean eyes. "No, I'm fine Deidara." She gave him a small smile.

Deidara leaned back in his chair and put his arms above his head, showing off his soft lavender shirt. "Well, Itachi and Sasuke are both out of the office today so things should be pretty relaxed." He stated with a mischievous look, hoping the news would cheer her up.

At the mention of Sasuke's name, Ino felt the mixture of emotions rise up within her once more. Clearly she was in need of some type of reasoning or explanation on his part. "That's good." Ino walked around his desk and stuffed her purse behind it for safe keeping before straightening her navy colored skirt.

Just as she did so, the man she had seen yesterday speaking with Itachi and Deidara strode in with the utmost confidence. "Good morning." He stated kindly.

"Oh hey, newbie." Deidara answered. "Looks like you'll be training with Tenten today, but she is always late. So feel free to go grab some coffee in the break room." Deidara informed.

"Oh, okay, thank you. Where is that located?" Asked the man.

"Ino, could you show him?" Deidara asked lazily, not wanting to be removed from his comfortable position.

"Uhm, sure." Ino agreed, reluctantly. She made her way out from behind the desk. "It's just this way." She said politely.

She lead him down the hall silently, observing his wondering eyes carefully. For reasons unknown to her, he made her feel strangely at unease, and she didn't really care for him that much at all, but he was a coworker, and she was determined to be nice.

"So Ino, how long have you worked here?" Asked the brunette man just as they entered into the break room.

"Just over a week." Ino answered briefly, not wanting to get into a detailed conversation with him. "Well, here we are!" She said before turning to leave the room.

"Hey," he said, calling after her.

Ino turned in the doorway and faced him. "Yes?" She could tell by the faint blush on his cheeks that this wasn't going to be good, whatever it was.

The man nervously fidgeted with a button on his white button up shirt before speaking. "You, uh... You think you might be up for some coffee sometime? I mean like outside of the work area?"

Ino's eyes widened with surprise, how was she to answer? She was in the middle of an awkward situation with one of her employers. She wasn't taken, and really wasn't sure if single was the right word either. She wasn't harsh enough to just say no, fortunately for her, Deidara came to the rescue.

"Inoooooo!" He hollered from down the hall.

"Oh, I'm sorry, please excuse me." Ino gave him a polite smile and nod before rushing off to see what Deidara needed. _Thank you, Deidara._ She thought to herself, although she knew he hadn't a clue what was going on.

"Ino!" Deidara whined from his place behind the desk as soon as she appeared before him.

"Yes? Are you alright?" She questioned, slightly alarmed.

"Could you please get me a coffee? I really don't wanna get up!"

"No!" She exclaimed, soon she lowered her voice and looked at him with shifty eyes. "You can get your own, he's hitting on me in there."

"Alright, you stay here. I'll go get us some coffee."

* * *

Tenten placed the house phone on the hook with hands that trembled violently. "Why didn't he say anything?" She whispered to herself, taking a step back and trying to assess the news the doctor had given her. She had received a phone call regarding a confirmation of an appointment for Itachi. It was then that the doctor kindly explained to her that Itachi had severe heart failure and was swiftly approaching his end.

Tears fell from her chocolate colored eyes and she slumped to the kitchen floor, her bare knees hitting the hard wood with a loud thud.

Just then, the subject of her troubling thoughts walked down their stairs slowly before noticing her. "Tenten?!" He exclaimed, now rushing down the stairs only to find himself extremely out of breath. He pushed the disheveled strands of black hair from his face, desperately trying to make his way to his wife.

"Don't run!" She screamed, her face contorted into an expression that terrified Itachi to the core. And this was an impossible feat, or so he thought until now.

"Wh-what are you doing on the floor?" He asked, reaching down and pulling her to he feet in one swift motion.

For a moment, Tenten felt like a child in his arms, but quickly she found her feet and glared at him. "H-heart failure?"

"Oh, Tenten..." He tilted his head to the side sympathetically and put his hands on her shoulders. He didn't want her to find out at all, and especially not in this way. His eyes felt heavy as he looked at her, and it felt like his heart was breaking.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She wanted to yell, and she wanted to cry but she didn't want to accelerate his already rapid heart rate. He hated when she cried, detested it, which would only agitate him more.

"I didn't want anything to change." He suddenly admitted as he yanked her into a hug. "I didn't want you to know because I didn't want us to change."

Tenten's expression softened, and she couldn't help but cry. She wasn't angry that he kept it from her, rather disappointed in herself for neglecting to be the support that he needed. "I'm still your wife. You should've said something, Itachi. I- I can't..."

"I know, and for that I'm truly sorry. I couldn't trouble you like that."

"I thought that when we got married, we said something along the lines of: 'in sickness and in health'? What does that mean to you?" She grabbed hold of the back of his t-shirt, clinging to it tightly.

"It means I love you too much to hurt you." He whispered. "And that out rules the truth."

"Stop it! Can you just tell me the truth from now on?" She asked, pulling away from him in order to look him in the eye.

He looked weak and dejected, tired and a little afraid. "Yes." He stated plainly. "I have a doctors appointment today. They're running several tests to see what my progress is, and possibly to tell me how much time I've got left."

Tenten looked away, she could hardly face him. She felt nauseated just thinking about the fact that she may not have him for much longer. "What about a donor? Is there anything else they can do?"

"I'm already on a waiting list."

"I'm coming with you then, to the doctor's." She stated firmly, still desperately holding herself together.

"No, I need you in the office. There's a new employee that needs to be trained. Sasuke's out until Monday and I have no one else."

"But..."

"I need you to go to work." Itachi straightened the thin strap of her nightgown that had slipped of of her shoulder, his fingers lingered there for a moment, not wanting to leave.

"I'm not going to leave your side!" She exclaimed, this time unable to control the tears.

"Don't cry." He barked, quickly wiping her tears away. "Make it a half day for everyone at the office. You can come to my appointment after that. But I need you there for now."

Tenten nodded in agreement, keeping this from the others at the office would be a challenge, but she would do it for her husband's sake.

* * *

Ino busied herself around the office, tidying things and organizing what she could in the break rooms and around the waiting area. She had hoped that Tenten would arrive soon in order to keep her away from Uchiha Enterprises' newest employee.

She was doing her best to avoid him, but his gaze was capturing her, every where she went. Eventually, she resolved to standing by Deidara's desk and helping him make phone calls until her boss arrived.

Finally, the brunette woman did arrive, about an hour late. She walked into the building wearing a simple green dress and kept her sunglasses on until she got to the desk. "Good morning you two, sorry I'm late."

It was immediately evident to Deidara and Ino that Tenten had been crying, but neither dared to speak about it. "Morning." They said in unison.

"Ino, why don't you meet me in my office, I need a quick word with Deidara." Tenten asked politely, smiling kindly at the intern.

"Actually, you get to show the new guy the wonderful world of administrations." Deidara said with a cunning smirk.

Tenten put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, I had completely forgotten. Is he here?"

"I'm right here, ma'am." Came a voice from the waiting area. The man known as Shikamaru emerged and walked over to the three at the desk. "My name is Shikamaru, Nara. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Tenten Uchiha." Tenten shook his hand and smiled. "I think I can work with both of you today."

Tenten promptly lead the two up to her office, noticing an uncomfortable sense of awkwardness between them. She soon shrugged it off and ushered them within her quarters. "Have a seat, you two." She instructed while walking behind her desk and digging through her bottom drawer for some paperwork.

Ino deliberately moved her chair away from the other so she didn't have to sit elbow to elbow with with the stranger. "Okay, Mr. Nara, here is my number one rule. The intern, Miss Ino, only takes orders from me, Mr. Uchiha, and Sasuke. Don't expect her to do your work for you."

"Uh- yes ma'am." He answered with a nod.

Ino smiled on the inside, thankful for her saving grace, Tenten. She then continued to watch her dig through paperwork until she found what she was looking for.

"Ah, here we are." She said, handing a rather thick packet of papers to the man. "This is just a simple aptitude test. I merely need to see where your skill set lands. It'll take you thirty minutes or so, but do take your time. It is very important."

Shikamaru took the paper from the woman and nodded. "Thank you." He said politely.

Tenten nodded in response before handing Ino her own stack of papers. "This is a mock account. I'd like to see if you can balance out the totals and add it to the books, deducting it from the budget."

Ino was a little overwhelmed, by that would not deter her. She would get it done accurately, no matter what it took. She really wanted to impress Tenten. "Absolutely!" Ino chimed.

"You two work on these, I'll return shortly." Tenten stood from her desk and exited her office, leaving Ino alone with the awkward stranger once more.

She noticed him looking at her, and it seemed as though he was about to say something when Ino sprung up from her seat and ran after Tenten. She darted down the hall, catching her right before the elevator opened.

Tenten looked at the winded girl, a little surprised. "What is it, Ino?"

"Well, to be honest..." Ino started, "I feel a little uncomfortable being alone with him." She whispered. She was thankful she felt comfortable enough to express her concerns without the fear of judgement.

Tenten's eyes widened and she drew the girl closer to her. "Why, what's wrong? Do you know him?" Tenten inquired.

"Well no, not exactly... But he asked me out earlier and it was just awkward." Ino admitted.

Tenten smiled and shook her head. "Okay, I tell you what: why don't you finish that test in the break room? Come and bring it to me when you're done. As far as getting him to leave you alone, just do what we all do with Deidara. Laugh." Tenten smiled once more, assuring Ino.

"Thank you, Tenten!" She exclaimed before rushing off to the break room.

She made herself comfortable at the small round table and took a look at the figures. For a while, her mind was completely torn away from Sasuke, but as soon as she was alone, memories and recollections of the kiss that they shared came barreling into her mind. _What am I even doing? I shouldn't think about him like this._ Ino shook her head a few times and looked back down at the paper.

Admittidly, the assignment was more difficult than she had anticipated, but she did her best to call upon the information that Tenten had pounded into her head the day before. She went over the steps, one by one and found herself flying through it. Well, this isn't so bad. She thought to herself, thoroughly focusing on the task at hand.

* * *

_Meanwhile, back at the front desk._

The brunette woman stormed down the hallway with angry steps before reaching the front desk with a scowl upon her face. Once she was sure no one was around, she cocked back her right arm and planted a swift and violent slap across the blonde man's unsuspecting face.

"I asked you what was wrong with him!" She yelled frantically.

Deidara's blue eyes enlarged and a red hand print slowly revealed itself on his normally perfect and pale face. "Ah T-tenten?!" He rubbed his face where she struck him. "Where is this coming from?!"

"You lied! I asked you to tell me what it was and you said you didn't know!" Tenten's eyes were filling with tears but she instinctually wiped them away before they had a chance to fall.

"He's protecting you!" Deidara barked. "Like it or not, he's doing his best! So you can lay the fuck off!"

Tenten was about to shout a slew of profanities in his direction when Zabuza emerged from his office. "Sorry to interrupt this little cat fight, but I've got some news."

Tenten drew back and took a deep breath, tuning in his direction. "What is it?"

"Looks like the guys down in the Suna are ready for another shipment. I can get an order from Otagakure but I need someone to sign off on it." Zabuza stated.

"Only Sasuke or Itachi can authorize that." Stated Tenten.

"Then shall I call Itachi in?"

"No! Go ahead and call Sasuke in to sign off on it."

"Okay, Sweetie." Zabuza soon dismissed himself in order to call Sasuke.

* * *

The day had come to an early end and Ino was pleasantly surprised that she had completely aced Tenten's trial. Tenten had actually complimented Ino on her work, noting she had zero errors.

She was gathering her things and getting ready to leave when she noticed Shikamaru following her down stairs toward the front desk. She picked up her pace a bit and reached the last step, still trying to avoid his gaze, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw Sasuke walk into the building. Her heart too, stopped for a moment.

He looked so different in a simple pair of jeans and a black cotton t-shirt. He seemed rather focused, and he wore a very serious and stoic expression. Ino couldn't help but smile subtly to herself.

Slowly, she walked toward the front desk, but Sasuke walked straight passed her without saying a single word. He walked straight into Zabuza's office, closing the door behind him._ Did he really not see me?_ She thought curiously as she stopped in front of the desk, looking into Zabuza's office as Sasuke approached his desk.

"Hey, I heard you impressed Tenten yet again." Deidara stated, breaking Ino from her trance. He leaned over his desk and smiled fondly at her.

"Oh, thank you." She smiled, blushing a little embarrassed at his compliment.

Shikamaru was still waiting in the corridor for the results of his aptitude test, but really he was more eager to hear an answer from the gorgeous blonde girl who he worked with. He took the opportunity to ask her once more about grabbing coffee later on.

"So, about earlier, Ino..." He started as he walked up to her.

Ino held her breath, knowing exactly what was coming, she then noticed the door to Zabuza's office swing open, and Sasuke walked right back out and approached the desk.

"I was wondering what you thought about grabbing that coffee?" Shikamaru asked, disregarding the fact that the co-owner of the company was present.

"Excuse me," Sasuke suddenly interrupted as he turned his attention to the brunette man. "Are you asking a coworker out to coffee?"

"Well, yes, that was my intention." Answered the man with an inquisitive expression.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked sternly at the man. "Why don't you keep things professional, hm? Do yourself a favor, go shopping for a girl outside of the work place." The look on Sasuke's face was one that Ino hadn't ever seen before.

_Is...is he jealous?_ She thought curiously as she watched the altercation.

"And what's it to you?" Spat the brunette, leaning in closer to Sasuke and narrowing his eyes as if to threaten.

At this point, Deidara was preparing for the worst, he stood from his seat, about to speak but Sasuke spoke before he had the chance.

"It's my company, that's what. Now you can respect me and what I tell you to do, or you can walk right out those God Damn doors now." Sasuke wore a smirk the entire time, almost as if he enjoyed conflict.

Although Ino had deducted that the Uchiha's were intense people, the blonde was more than grateful Sasuke set things straight. But she couldn't for the life of her understand why. Wasn't he being hypocritical? Why was he acting that way? She hadn't a clue, but it excited her and annoyed her all at once.

"M-my apologies sir, I didn't know.."

"You didn't know..." Sasuke mumbled under his breath before heading toward the elevator. He glowered back at Shikamaru the entire time he walked. The elevator doors opened before he had a chance to even press a bottom and Tenten emerged.

She looked at Sasuke, who quickly looked away from Shikamaru and walked into the elevator without a word.

Tenten was curious as to what was going through his mind, but she ignored it. She was eager to get to Itachi, and get away from this place.

She rounded the corner to the front desk, noticing the strong tension in the air. She looked at Deidara who simply shook his head. The newest employee seemed rather dejected and somber. "Well, Mr. Nara, you did very well on your aptitude test. Excellent work." Tenten smiled and handed him the paper.

"Thank you, ma'am." He said, managing to return the smile despite his feelings.

"See you Monday." Tenten said, watching the man leave. She then turned to the two blondes at the desk and gave them an inquisitive look. "Okay, I'm off. Hope everything's okay here."

Ino looked in the direction of the stairway and thought for a moment before turning back to the brunette woman. "Oh, Tenten! I left my purse in your office." She lied, she needed some kind of excuse to get to Sasuke and talk to him without being so obvious to the others around her.

"Well," Tenten started as she removed a small silver key from her key ring. "Just put it on Deidara's desk when you're done. Unfortunately I've got to run. See you two on Monday." She said before smiling back at them and rushing out the front doors.

Deidara sat at his desk, looking down at Ino's purse with a smirk on his face. He watched her rush up the stairs in haste. _You sneaky little gir_l. He thought as he smiled to himself.

* * *

Ino finally arrived on the fourth floor and walked the hall toward the dark haired man's office. She was nervous but her determination outweighed the anxiety. She knocked on his door, afterward retracting and clasping her hands together, trying to keep her cool.

"Yeah?" Came his voice from within, Ino noticed that he sounded rather annoyed, but this didn't stop her. She went ahead and opened the door and looked at him with concern and confusion written all over her face.

"Sasuke..."

He was standing behind his desk, from the looks of things he was searching for something specific. "Come on in, close the door behind you."

Ino did as she was asked, and walked up to his desk. "I don't know what that was back there... But I think I need an explanation." She stated, smoothing out her creme colored blouse. Talking to Sasuke was difficult enough as it was, but confronting him was even harder. He was so charming, it was difficult not to get lost in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He answered before continuing to look through his desk. He knew exactly what she was addressing, but he didn't wish to discuss the fact that he may or may not have been jealous of the other man.

Now Ino was irritated. She didn't understand why he was avoiding her or the situation. "Okay fine, then what about the kiss?"

"Shh..." He warned with wide eyes, now giving her his full attention.

"Sasuke, I guess what needs to be said here is that I'm not gonna be that other woman. Despite the fact that I may have feelings for you, I just won't do it. " She stated before turning to leave his office.

"It's not my intention," he started, walking toward her as he spoke. "It's not my intention to drag you both around like that. But it's also not my intention to spend my time with her much longer, you understand what I'm saying?"

Ino turned around to face him, blushing terribly at the fact that he was right in front of her. "I..."

"I've tried to stop thinking about you, Ino. The fact of the matter is that I just can't. Since the day I met you I haven't stopped thinking about you. " He looked down at her, with sincerity swirling in his ebony colored eyes.

"What now, then?" Ino whispered, shocked and completely caught off guard by his sudden statement. But one thing was for certain, she knew she couldn't resist him much longer.

"I don't know about you, but I'm done with not acting on my feelings. If you have a problem with that, Ino, you need to tell me now." Sasuke stated, slowly wrapping his arms around he waist. He acted firm, but he was merely covering the deep seeded feeling within him that he had longed for. He was beginning to feel much more for the girl than he would let on.

Ino gulped, looking straight into his eyes. Her only problem was that she had no problem with the situation. How could she resist him? How could She deny him of the kindness and mutual love and respect that he deserved? Without another though, Ino wrapped her arms around the man's neck and kissed him passionately.

* * *

Although Tenten had a slew of frantic and anxious thoughts floating around her head, she still had some questions as to what had happened in the office just before she left. She could have sworn she saw Sasuke glaring intensely at their newest employee, and for what reason, she couldn't say for certain. She knew that the man named Shikamaru had asked Ino out, and made her incredibly uncomfortable, but that wouldn't be the source of Sasuke's anger, would it?_ Does Sasuke possibly have a thing for Ino?_ She wondered as she made her way to the hospital where Itachi would be having his testing. She then started to think about Ino._ I don't recall her actually bringing her purse into my office to begin with..._ Suddenly, Tenten gasped. _They like each other... That has to be it!_ She couldn't be sure if it was the truth or not, and she knew without a doubt that Itachi would never approve, but she knew full well that things with Sakura were headed to hell in a hand basket. She wouldn't say anything until she knew for sure, but she had yet to decide if she was okay with it or not. Overall, she wanted Sasuke to be happy, he deserved it after all the things he had been through in the last few years.

Finally, Tenten pulled into the parking lot of Konoha Memorial Hospital and made her way inside with haste. She was kindly directed to the area of the hospital that Itachi would be undergoing his testing and soon, she joined him in his designated room. He sat upon an examination table wearing a pale green hospital gown. His thick black hair was cascaded around him, covering his shoulders and reaching the middle of his back. When Tenten entered the room she thanked the escort kindly and Itachi's eyes immediately shot up and in her direction. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes and small beads of sweat were rolling down his temples. She rushed to his side without hesitation and placed a soft hand on his back.

"How long have you been here?" She asked quietly.

"A couple hours." He replied, looking over at her and smiling kindly. He felt drained, but when she arrived, he felt a sudden sense of peace. It almost made him regret not telling her as soon as he found out. "How was work?" It was awkward, the entire situation. He didn't particularly feel like talking about his condition with her, it saddened him too much. And judging by the look in her eyes, it saddened her too. He couldn't help but feel guilty, even though he knew none of it was his fault.

"We can discuss those things later. Have they come back with any results yet?" She asked anxiously. She noticed several prick marks on the skin around the inside of his elbows. She could hardly stomach the thought of loosing him, and the fact that he was subject to all of these tests made it harder.

"No, not yet. But I'm assuming they'll be back shortly." He let out a sigh and pulled her close to him, laying his head on her shoulder.

Almost as if on cue, a beautiful and busty woman entered into the room. She had large, honey colored eyes with golden hair to match. "Oh, you must be Mrs. Uchiha? He talks about you often." The woman smiled softly at Tenten. "My name is Dr. Tsunade, I've been treating him for a year now."

"Thank you for taking care of him. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You as well." The doctor replied before opening a small folder and walking to Itachi. She stood in front of him and let out a small sigh. "Well, unfortunately, nothing has changed."

"I see." Itachi responded while looking down.

"There is a little good news, though. Looks like you're just about at the top of the list for the next available donor. On average we get a healthy heart available for an organ donation around every six weeks." Said the woman, closing her folder and looking at the man with sympathetic eyes.

"That's good, right?" Tenten inquired, praying that there may be some glimmer of hope for them yet.

"Well, all things considered, I would say yes. His heart may be failing, but that doesn't mean it isn't strong. He's outlived his expectations by over six months. However, that means that he needs to be extremely careful. No strenuous activities. I'd also like to see you cutting down on your hours at work. Maybe work two to three days or so. You need to rest."

"We can arrange that." Tenten informed, draping a gentle arm around Itachi's shoulder.

"Good." The Doctor stated before heaving another sigh. "I can't stress that enough. To be perfectly honest, Itachi... I don't think there's any time to spare."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello to my fabulous followers, and my sweet and amazing reviewers. As always, I cannot thank you enough for your kind responses, and I will never ask you to stop! Flattery will get you everywhere my loves! No, no I'm only teasing. But really, I truly appreciate all of your kind words. **

**I want to appologize for my small delay in posting. I'm currently busy with work and now potentially buying a home. It's exciting but very taxing business. I'm sure some of you may understand, while others are still at home with ma and pa, which is good. Stay as long as you can! :) Haha. **

**Anywho, I don't think I have anything else to say other than 'Thank you' and 'Sorry for the delay'. Shall we proceed? Okay good!**

**NARUTO**  
**AU**  
**INTERNAL AFFAIRS**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

_**Chapter seven: Stubbornness and Secrets **_

* * *

"Well I must say, Sasuke there has been a drastic change in your demeanor. I mean, lately you seem quite chipper and in high spirits. Are things at home improving?" Asked Sasuke's marriage counselor, Hinata as she carefully examined the male before her. She noticed how he wore a smile she hadn't seen much at all, and how even his posture had improved dramatically. Something was definitely different about Sasuke, but she couldn't put her finger on it just yet.

"No, not many improvements at home. In fact, I think it's getting worse. But things at work are looking up..." Sasuke smiled to himself and thought back to the moment when things between he and Ino really flourished.

_Flashback_

The blonde girl in his office flung her arms around his neck and planted a firm kiss on his lips. He was a little surprised that she wasn't angry about his bold statement. He had notified her that he intended to act upon his feelings, and apparently, so did she. He wasn't complaining whatsoever. In fact, he was elated.

He kissed her back, returning it with an equal amount of passion. He pulled her body close, both of his hands resting upon the small of her back. He could feel her long, blonde hair softly tickling the skin of his hands as they held each other there. The kiss intensified with each second that passed by, and before he knew it, Sasuke had the sudden urge to rip off the girl's clothing.

He broke away, and he could feel the hotness in his cheeks, but it couldn't have been as bad as the blush that she was wearing.

"We can't do this here." He stated firmly, stepping back from her and fixing his shirt a little.

Ino looked him up and down, it was obvious she was contemplating something. Finally, resting her index finger on her chin, she spoke. "Come to my place."

For a moment, Sasuke was once more surprised by her actions. It was one of the things that drew him to her. He couldn't figure out why, but something about Ino made him crazy. And not in the way that his wife made him crazy. He felt like a high schooler all over again. The excitement of the entire ordeal was nearly too much to handle. "Are you sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

The girl only nodded and gave him a small smile in response.

"Alright."

_End flashback_

He was feeling giddy just at the memory of their last encounter at her place. How could he help it? He was finally happy. Sure it was a huge secret that could cost him his job, house, wife, and maybe he could go as far as to say he was risking his life, but he didn't care. This was a feeling Sasuke hadn't experienced in many, many years. And to him, there was no evaluation to be made on that. No amount of money could be paid to achieve it.

"So, the joy you are displaying now, is only work related?" Asked the dark haired woman.

"Yeah, it's definitely only work related." Sasuke smirked deviously, enjoying the fact that he had such a deep secret.

* * *

Ino lay on her couch, staring at the ceiling as she clung to a pillow. She inhaled deeply, smelling the lingering scent the her guest had left behind. She remembered running his thick, black hair through her fingers, pulling it roughly when they had been intimate together.

She missed him, and he had only just left. She sat up, and looked at her front door, longing for him to walk through it once again. She knew she would see him soon enough, but to her, it felt like too long.

She never would have imagined that just over a week of working for the man, she had fallen for him, captured his interest and started an affair with him. Shame on her for sleeping with a married man. Guilt was rising up within her, causing her to feel nauseated and tired, but it was soon deflated by the excitement and happiness she felt.

They had set the terms of their relationship soon after they had engaged one another. Ino and Sasuke were strictly to act professional at work, no inappropriate behavior or remarks, they were to go on as if nothing happened. Sasuke would attend counseling during his lunch hour, and straight after work they would go to her place.

If Sakura was to ask him where he was after work, he would be at counseling, and then at the gym. It seemed as though he had thought everything through. There was no way Sakura could ask the counseling offices when Sasuke's appointments were, due to confidentiality.

She made her way to her bedroom, observing her bed, which lay in complete disarray. Even the fitted sheet was peeled up on one corner. Letting out a sigh, Ino leapt onto the bed and snuggled into it. Smiling to herself as she thought about her boss. She thought about his strong features, his thick hair and dark, mysterious eyes. She had never seen someone with such dark and intriguing eyes. She recalled how good his body looked, and how defined his muscles were. He was everything a girl could want and more.

_I'm not a bad person..._ She thought, fidgeting with her nightgown. _No, Sasuke is just as guilty as me, and he deserves to be happy._ Ino shook her head, wanting to silence all of her many thoughts. She closed her eyes, eager to get through the weekend and back to work in order to see him once more.

* * *

Tenten's eyes were becoming weary and dry from staring at the screen of her laptop for such an extended period of time. She was researching heart healthy foods for Itachi, and also trying her best to find a live-in assistant to help out and keep Itachi under a watchful eye.

She had so far only seen a few with potential, and she would be interviewing them come Saturday morning. She knew that Itachi would disapprove, but she didn't care. It was part of her determination to keep him safe and to help him out as much as possible.

She couldn't stand the thought of loosing him, and she would do whatever it took to keep him by her side, or at least prolong their time together. She was scared, but somewhere deep inside of her she knew that everything would turn out. That peaceful feeling came and went, the more she watched him sleeping. He was breathing relatively normally, but she could see his heart beat when she watched his neck, was quite abnormal, and often times she would be terrified that he wouldn't wake up the next morning. But he smiled in his sleep often, giving her a small sense of relief.

Yawning, she decided since it was already five A.M. She would just go ahead and proceed with her day. She stretched out a little and slid her laptop onto the nightstand, turning to her side. As she did, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, one wriggling underneath her. Soon she felt her body pressed against his from behind and she squeaked in surprise.

"Where are you going?" Itachi asked, whispering in her ear and resting his chin on her shoulder.

She shivered, feeling his hands flatten and run up and down her torso. He gently placed a kiss on her neck and she softly in his arms, turned and looked at him. "Itachi, I'm gonna get up and get ready."

"No, you're not." He said firmly, kissing her lips afterward.

It was so difficult for Tenten to decide what to do. If she engaged in sexual activities with him now, she ran the risk of accelerating his heart rate and throwing him into cardiac arrest. But if she did not, she ran the risk of breaking his emotional heart, and disappointing him greatly. "Doctor says to take it easy, Itachi..." She said with a shaky voice while he started to slide her panties down.

"I know, but..."

"But, we need to be careful." She informed, gently pulling away from him and sitting up in the bed. "I'm sorry honey, I'm just not gonna risk it. You're too important to me. What if something happens? I'm sure there's the perfect donor out there for you. In the meantime, we really need to be careful."

Itachi frowned deeply, looking at his wife. It was such a disappointment, but he knew she was right. "Ah, okay." He said before plopping his head onto the pillow like an upset toddler. His eyes suddenly fluttered closed when he felt her hand softly petting his hair, and soon he drifted right back to sleep.

* * *

_Monday morning, at the office_

"Where's the boss man today? Sleeping in?" Deidara asked the Brunette woman who seemingly ignored his 'hello'.

"He's at home." She answered firmly before turning to face him. "I'll be filling in for him for a while. He's only working three days a week right now. He has other things going on." She looked around, noticing that they were alone and she approached his desk. "If anyone asks, he's attending meetings and what not." She whispered.

Deidara winked in response and gave her a smile. He had completely forgiven her for her rash and rather violent actions during their last day at work. He felt as though he deserved it, but at the same time, she deserved the harsh yelling that he dished out, too. It was difficult to keep his mouth shut, especially when his best friend's life was ending and no one knew when. He didn't want to loose Itachi, they had grown up together, done everything together. It was so difficult to watch things unravel like this.

Regardless, Deidara slapped a fat smile on his face and acted like nothing was wrong. Sasuke wasn't to know, not yet anyway. Besides, Deidara didn't wanna spoil all of Sasuke's fun. He was wise to what was going on between he and Ino, but like the keeper of all secrets, he kept his mouth shut about that too.

"Is Sasuke in?" Tenten asked, taking Deidara away from his thoughts.

"Yep. In his office. I believe the intern is here as well, she was working on some copies for him." The blonde answered.

"Alright. If you see her, send her to my office."

"Will do, boss."

* * *

Sasuke headed down from his office and was making his way to the copier room with one thing lingering on his mind. He smiled happily, trotting down the steps. As he did, he ran into his sister-in-law on the way. "Good morning, Tenten." He said with a smile. He looked her over, noticing how weary she looked. _You always work too hard, Tenten. He thought to himself. _Often times Sasuke felt anger toward Itachi for just how hard his wife worked, Sasuke felt as though she should be able to stay home, but Itachi begged to differ.

Tenten carefully observed him and did her best to smile back. "Morning Sasuke." She replied.

"Is Itachi in today?" He inquired, straightening his red tie.

"Not today, he's got a few meetings. Hey when you get a chance, send Ino my way, would you?"

"Sure thing." Sasuke replied before continuing his way down the stairs. For some reason, he just felt like taking the stairs. It energized him a little, and gave him more time to think. He finally rounded the corner and walked into the copier room where Ino diligently worked.

He enjoyed sneaking up on her, completely baffled by her lack of ability to notice him. Still, he loved it. "How are those copies coming along?" He asked.

The girl jumped in response, her brown pleated skirt, swishing with the motion. She was completely unaware that he had come into the room at all. "S-Sasuke! I didn't hear you." She said, catching her breath. She was doing her very best to remain calm, but she couldn't help but blush a little. So she decided not to face him. She continued to make the copies of the papers he requested, with her back to him. "They're fine. I'm almost done."

Sasuke walked around the xerox machine and stood in front of it, forcing her to look at him. He checked the surroundings, noticing that they were completely alone and he smirked. "You know, you're awfully cute when you blush like that." He whispered, leaning on the machine and locking eyes with her.

Ino blushed another shade of red, but he kept her focus. "You know, you're breaking the rules." She said firmly, taking the hot papers out of the machine and straightening them. "Here are your copies, Sasuke." She subtly winked before turning to exit the room.

"Thank you. Oh," Sasuke remembered as he rushed after her. "Tenten would like to see you in her office."

* * *

_In Tenten's office_

"So, what did you wish to see me for, Tenten?" Ino asked a little nervously as she sat at the desk. For some odd reason, being called into Tenten's office like that almost reminded her of being in the principal's office in high school when she got in trouble.

Tenten smiled softly at the girl and finally spoke. "As you know, you balanced that mock account perfectly. There were no errors what so ever." She started, looking Ino firmly in the eye. "I'm curious to know if, in a few months you may be interested in full time book keeping for the company?"

Ino couldn't believe her ears. She hadn't been working for the company for very long, yet they were offering her such a large promotion? She was ecstatic. "I-I would love to!" She exclaimed, a large and genuine smile finding it's way upon her face.

"I'm so glad to hear that. Tenten stated, she too, smiling. "In the mean time, I'd like to continue training you three days of the week, the other two you can help Sasuke out when he needs it, but in order to get you going, we had to work hard and fast. You up for it?"

Ino thought for a moment. She knew it was a great opportunity, but it saddened her a little to think that she wouldn't be working directly under Sasuke any longer. But the more she thought on it, the more she realized that it was probably a good thing that they have some time apart. Their cover wouldn't be blown as easily that way, and of course, the promotion was bound to come with a significant raise. "I'm in!" Ino exclaimed.

"Wonderful!" Tenten stated. "Go ahead and assist Sasuke with whatever he needs today and we'll start tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good. Thank you so much for the opportunity!"

* * *

_Meanwhile with Itachi_

Itachi woke to the sound of someone frantically pounding on their front door. Grumbling, he threw the thick comforter off of his body and climbed out of bed. He grabbed a pair of slacks that lay sloppily on his dresser and put them on before proceeding to the door. He knew he looked like death, but he didn't care. Whoever was knocking deserved to be scared out of their minds for waking him from his deep slumber. Itachi soon arrived at his door and grabbed hold of the handle, swinging it open and frowning deeply. There standing at his door was a man with silver hair that spiked in all kinds of directions. He was just about the same height as Itachi, and judging by the looks of him, he wasn't much older, either. "What can I help you with?" Itachi asked with zero enthusiasm.

"You must be Mr. Uchiha." Said the man with a kind smile. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. Your wife has hired me to assist you." He stated, continuing to smile.

"My wife..." Itachi started, curious as to what on earth Tenten had gotten him into this time.

"Yes. She has explained to me your situation, and asked that I help out and keep an eye on you while she's away."

Itachi growled to himself while a scowl formed on his face. "Yeah, well... I can take care of myself. I won't be needing anyone's assistance. In fact, I was just about to head to work. So, if you'll excuse me..." He said before slamming the door in the stranger's face.

Itachi then turned around and stormed off to his bedroom in order to get ready for the day. "Hiring a damn nanny to keep an eye on me? Bullshit I can take care of myself!" He mumbled to himself as he sifted through his closet. "I feel fine, dammit!"

Quickly, Itachi readied himself for the day. Showering, getting dressed in one of his nicest suits and fixing his wild hair. He was determined to prove his point, and not just one either.

* * *

After hearing the exciting news from Tenten, Ino promptly left the woman's office and headed back down the hallway to Sasuke's office, smiling from ear to ear. She walked into his office and noticed him sifting through his paperwork, obviously a little frustrated. "What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly.

Sasuke looked up at her and gave her a half-smile. "Ah, I lost a paper." He answered, before continuing to look for the lost document.

"Well if you weren't so unorganized I'm sure you wouldn't loose things so much. You should really let me straighten things out for you." She stated, walking behind his desk and standing beside him. She then proceeded to take his papers and straighten them neatly, categorizing them.

Sasuke smirked. Normally, no one was allowed to touch a single paper on his desk. But he didn't mind a bit when Ino did so. He enjoyed watching her as she focused so intently on whatever it was she was working on. Everything she did, she did it with grace, poise and typically a smile. It was so refreshing after all the years of nagging, bickering and nit-picking from Sakura. Ino made a nice companion. She was easy to talk to, a great listener and also very intelligent. She could hold her own in and outside of the office. Which spoke volumes to the Uchiha boy.

"Thank you." He said quietly after she finished fixing the stack of papers. Low and behold, the one he had been searching for lay neatly at the top, almost as if she knew precisely what he was looking for.

She still stood beside him, smiling softly and admiring the look he was giving her. She wasn't sure what his expression was saying, but whatever it was, she liked it. "You're very welcome, Sasuke." She said kindly.

Without another thought, Sasuke stole a quick kiss from the blonde before opening a drawer in his desk and handing her a few thick folders. "Could you help me out with these, too?" He asked. He wasn't at all concerned that she would find out the truth about the company, and where they really made all of that money. Everything was laundered, and everything was perfect. They were simply an independent loan company for small businesses all across Konoha. Most businesses borrowed from them, which made a good deal of money as well. And of course, there was also interest. Which added up too. But there was no way of seeing the truth within any of their filing, thanks to Zabuza. Sasuke was the least organized person in the office, and his desk could use some serious help.

"Sure. I'll work on these in the break room." Ino said, taking the files away from Sasuke. She was still blushing from his kiss, and slightly annoyed that he was continually breaking the rules that they had clearly set in place just a few days prior. She shook her blonde head, wondering why on earth the man was frowning. "What is it?"

"Can't you file those in here?" He asked, his dark eyes widening for effect. She knew all too well, that Sasuke was only acting.

"Okay, fine. But the door has to be open, you understand?" She warned with a stern look on her face. The last thing she wanted was for anyone in the office to find out about what was going on between them.

"Yes, I do." He smiled, happy to have gotten his way. He strode over to his door and swung it open, he then grabbed her a chair and set it in front of his desk before returning to his seat behind it. "Well, you seem to be in high spirits. What's up?" He asked as he looked down at his newly organized papers.

"Well..." Ino started as she placed the thick files onto the desk and took a seat. "Tenten wants me to continue training with her so that in a few months I can take over doing the books for the business." She smiled wide, completely giddy and excited for the news.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he forced a smile onto his face, but in reality he was wondering just what on earth was going on. _Tenten must really trust her if she's planning on handing those over to her, and I don't know how Ino will react when she finds out the truth about our company._ He thought to himself. "That's great!" He lied, hoping to fool her. To his surprise, he did. Ino nodded happily and began to work on the files. Sasuke knew he could only hope that things worked out for her, and that she would be okay with the truth.

* * *

Itachi parked his car in his designated spot and got out, walking toward the doors. He held his head high, ready to confront Tenten about her actions. The last thing he wanted was to be treated like a sick child, and he was here to set things straight and to take back his manhood. He walked in the front doors and past the front desk until Deidara called out to him.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be in today." Deidara stated, although if he was honest, he was excited to see his friend. Itachi didn't look too bad, his face was a little light, but Deidara resolved that Itachi was always very fair.

Itachi turned to face his friend. He gave him a knowing smile and a nod. "Yes, I am." He answered simply. "Please call Mrs. Uchiha to my office. Thank you"

Deidara simply shook his head. "You've always been so goddamn stubborn." He watched his friend walk toward the elevator and smiled to himself._ That's probably why you're still going strong, huh friend? _After watching Itachi disappear into the elevator, Deidara picked up his phone and pressed the red button for the intercom. "Miss Tenten Uchiha, your presence is requested in Mr. Uchiha's office. Thank you."

Tenten was diligently sifting through files regarding Otagakure and researching about a man named Gaara when she heard the obscure announcement. She raised her head and looked around curiously. "What the hell?" She whispered to herself. Tenten stood from her desk, releasing a sigh and made her way out of her office reluctantly. With several thoughts whirling around in her mind, she got into the elevator and rode it up one floor. Straightening her black dress, she stepped out and walked into her husband's office where she saw his familiar face. He was seated behind his desk, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest.

"Close the door." He asked, looking at her with a stern expression.

Tenten closed the door and walked toward his desk. "You are not supposed to be here, Itachi." She stated.

"Yeah, well you hired a damn nanny! You should talk to me about that sort of thing, Tenten."

The brunette girl looked down sadly. She knew that this sort of reaction was to be expected. "I just worry about you." She said, finally.

"Well, stop worrying. I'm fine." He replied, standing. "I'm not done yet. Not with anything, and I want you to respect that. I'll keep fighting as long as I can, and I'm not going to subject myself into someone else's care."

"But..."

"You can look after me here."

"The doctor..."

"I don't care. This is my company, and I intend to run it until the bitter end." He said, placing both of his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Alright." She said, reluctantly. But she knew once Itachi had his mind set on something, there was no arguing with the man whatsoever. Despite her worry, there was now nothing she could do about the situation. Itachi made his way over to her and kissed her cheek before returning to his desk to attend to some things.

Tenten decided that she would take initiative. She made her way to her office, snatched her things and went back up to his office, staking out and making herself comfortable. If he was gonna work, she would be working along side him, making sure he wasn't overdoing anything.

* * *

The end of the day finally came, and Ino and Sasuke would be lying if they said they weren't thrilled. She made her way to her place with haste, slightly nervous but she was excited to spend time with Sasuke alone once more. She could hardly wait, but she knew that she had a few things to address as far as his behavior during the day went. She would be sure to bring those thing sup to him when he arrived.

She finally pulled up to her small two bedroom home and exited her car. She made her way inside and scoped things out. Everything seemed rather clean from the day before when she had tidied up. She wished that she could make him dinner, but she knew that he always ate dinner at his home with his wife. And thinking of him and his wife only saddened her, so she quickly shook it off and straightened some of the items on her coffee table. She lit a candle or two and made her way to her bathroom to make sure she looked alright.

She fixed her eyeliner that had slowly darkened the underneath of her eyes after the long day, dusted a bit of powder on her cheeks, forehead and chin and smoothed out her hair a bit before he arrived. She tried to busy herself with things to do, but she was growing more and more anxious as she waited. But finally, the moment came when he knocked on her front door.

Quickly, Ino made her way to the door. She fixed her blouse and made sure everything was in check before opening the door. She smiled when she saw him standing there, a single white rose in hand. She hadn't a clue that he could be so romantic. He was a rather complex creature, but she didn't mind. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she was just as complicated.

"Hello, beautiful." He said softly as he offered her the gorgeous flower. Ino took it from him with gratitude and offered for him to come inside. Gladly, Sasuke followed her in and looked around. He loved how neat things in her home were, though they were not lavish or elaborate, they were tasteful and simple. It made him comfortable.

"Can I get you anything?" Ino asked, looking over her shoulder as she walked toward the living area.

Sasuke shook his head, still looking about. He had been too preoccupied the last time he was in her place to even look around. This time, he was taking his time with her. It was a strange agreement they had, and at times it could be a little awkward. He wanted to ease into things in order to give them some sense of normalcy. He didn't want to use her for sex, he wanted a genuine relationship with her, regardless of the fact that for the time being, things would be far from normal.

Ino took a seat on the couch and patted the place next to her, gently placing the rose on the table near her ocean scented candle. Sasuke happily obliged and sat beside her. He put his arm behind her, resting it on the couch and he looked into her eyes with sincerity. He took his other hand and tucked a stray piece of her blonde hair behind her ear, smiling softly at her.

"You know, you broke a few rules today, Sasuke." She informed, unable to keep from smiling.

His expression softened further and he let out a small sigh. "I know. I'm surprised you didn't." He teased, gently touching her shoulder with his fingertips.

"I don't want us to get in trouble Sasuke, especially you." She stated, concerned.

He chuckled slightly and leaned back into the couch comfortably. "We won't get in trouble, Ino. I assure you."

"Okay, if you say so." She replied, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. He draped his arm around her and gripped onto the side of her arm, holding her close.

_This is nice..._ He thought to himself.


End file.
